Degrees of Affection
by LauraRoslinForever
Summary: AU based on the movie, Laws of Attraction. Regina Mills is a high profile divorce attorney in New York City, and she's never lost a case. That is, until counselor Robin Locksley came into town and turned her life completely upside down.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Okay so, a little bit of explanation before you start. This story is a spin/twist of the movie _Laws of Attraction._ I have taken dialogue, and moments from the movie, however, this will have my own creative take on it and even expand it a bit. Sure I could have gone more original, but as it stands I have a lot of original stories I'm working on, and needed something a bit light for fun. Really this movie just screamed OQ and the dialogue is already perfect. So if you've seen the movie great, enjoy this Outlaw Queen twist! If you haven't, sweet! I hope you like it as well! And big thank you to my amazing beta.

* * *

><p>Chapter One<p>

Cora Mills shifted in the seat of her New York town car and fixed her eyes on her daughter beside her, who was currently engrossed in yet another work email. She sighed and continued with her topic of conversation. "I mean, that if you made more of an effort you may just get a man to ask you out, God forbid one day you have a husband and get married. Give your mother some grandchildren before she dies."

"I don't need a husband, Mother," Regina replied, without looking up from her iPhone adding, "and we both know how much you _love_ the idea of anyone calling you grandma."

"Regardless," Cora said, wrinkling her nose at the very idea of "Grandma" and deciding she would come up with a better name for it, and sighed at her daughter's stubbornness. "Did you know that eighty percent of women who say that they don't need a man or a marriage are really just lonely, Regina?"

"You know, I don't feel that I need to get married just to stay on the right side of a survey." This was an old conversation, one they'd had many times over the years, and Regina was usually unbothered by it most of the time. She knew her mother only wanted the very best for her, to see her happy and settled. So she humored her most of the time, took the advice for what it was worth, until it got to the point of tediousness. Such as right now, when she'd rather be focusing on her work instead of her appalling lack of bedfellows.

"It's also bad for your complexion, dear."

Regina looked up at that, startled out of her complacency. "What?"

"My skin is always better when I'm dating." Cora stated into her compact, studying her herself with an appreciative gleam in her eye.

Regina rolled her eyes and said, "Yes, I'm sure that any day now scientists will announce that sex endorphins are the best and latest way to have firmer, younger skin." She focused back on her email and mumbled under her breath, "You're never _not _dating, Mother."

"Exactly my point," Cora replied, with a smack of her lips, before snapping her compact closed. "And I've never looked younger. You on the other hand…"

"I on the other hand, have stopped having this conversation." Regina told her with a tone of finality, right as the car parked along sidewalk of a very large two story dwelling. "Oh my God, is this it?"

* * *

><p>"It's an extraordinary townhouse with a total floor space of nine thousand square feet, not including the garden." The short realtor with the all-too happy smile grinned at them both, and gestured for them to follow into the next room. "May I ask what it is you ladies do?"<p>

"Depends on the occasion," Cora smiled mysteriously, looking around the room with expressed interest while Regina followed behind them in a bored indifferent manner.

"And your friend?"

Regina pulled out her phone, and gave a shrug, before glancing down at the screen. "I'm just along for the ride."

The realtor gave her a curious smile and continued undeterred by her blasé attitude, "Well if you'll follow me, this view of the dining room was just featured in Manhattan Interior's Magazine."

"What was hanging there?" Regina asked, nodding to the blank space above the fireplace.

"That was the _Weeping Willow_." He gave Cora a wide toothy smile. "Doctor Whale has an amazing art collection. He made thirty million on the one Monet alone."

Regina let out a low whistle. "That much?"

"Too bad none of it comes with the townhouse." The man chuckled. "Now if you'll follow me to the main bedroom..."

Cora started forward, but Regina stood unmoving. She had seen enough, so she sighed dramatically and said, "You know what, Cora… This place doesn't seem like you at all. It's kind of…" She looked around the room. Her eyes wandered over the high vaulted ceilings, the wide French doors with a view of Central Park and finished with a sniff, "cramped." She ignored the realtor's sputtering gasp and strolled out of the room.

* * *

><p>Cora's eyebrows raised in amusement as she reached for her cocktail. "Cramped?"<p>

Regina smirked at her mother from across the table. They'd left immediately after her comment, and headed to The Four Seasons, where Regina treated her mother to lunch as a thank you for her help that afternoon. "Well, it was all I could think of, and besides, I had everything I needed."

She pulled out her phone, and started a voice note, while looking through the pages of a back issue of Manhattan Interior's magazine, and more specifically of the pages displaying the missing interior pieces of Dr. Whale's townhome. Speaking into the phone Regina began, "The paintings in the dining room are gone, the sculpture in the living room has been replaced, over the grand piano is a framed poster of the East Hampton Film Festival, somewhat less valuable than the Sicily that was hanging there, and if those monstrosities in the hall were Claude Monet, I'm the Wicked Witch of the West."

Cora laughed lightly, dabbing the sides of her mouth with her napkin, while proudly surveying her daughter.

"Yes, sir, Dr. Whale's sham is going to unravel and I will get _millions_ from him."

"Yes, but for someone else," Cora clicked her tongue lightly against her teeth, with a frown. "You see, my dear, that's what I don't understand. Where's the pleasure in getting that much for someone _else_, Regina?"

"Winning. And that's all the pleasure I need. And the portion I get is more than enough." They smiled knowingly at one another, and then sat back as their lunch was placed in front of them. "Thanks for today, Mom."

Cora's eyes widened, her eyes flying frantically around the room, because God forbid anyone should believe her to be old enough to have a daughter in her thirties. Even though their table had been secluded in a corner of the restaurant, far from the pursuing ears of others, still she let out an annoyed hiss of a whisper. "Regina, I've asked you time and again, not to use that word in public!"

Regina rolled her eyes, and taking a drink of her iced tea, went back to perusing her magazine on the table.

* * *

><p>"That lying, two-faced son of a bastard," Ruby Whale hissed the following day, crossing her arms, and sitting back in the chair with a heated growl. She looked almost…feral, Regina decided, her nose flared in anger, her jaw clenched, and her eyes narrowed and furious.<p>

Regina leaned forward, resting her elbows on her desk, and laced her hands together. "Ruby, this happens all the time in a divorce like this. Don't worry, we'll find the paintings. He's probably hidden them, sold them… but I'll find out. Luckily, I've dealt with Sidney Glass, the opposing counsel, in similar situations. He's sly, I'll give him that, but I'm onto his game."

"Miss Mills."

Regina looked up to find her legal assistant, Ashley, stepping into the room a bit more hesitantly than she normally would. The young blonde held out her hand to her, a pink post-it note stuck to her fingers. Regina arched an eyebrow at her assistant, and glancing over it quickly, she felt her stomach drop momentarily. But she wasn't new to this, so she plastered on a smile and looked back up at Ashley. "Are we ready to go?"

Ashley nodded. iPad and files in hand, Regina stood.

Everything would be fine.

Everything would be fine, she repeated to herself, smoothing out her black pencil skirt. So Mr. Whale fired Glass. No big deal. She'd never even heard of Robin Locksley before. He was probably some young fresh-from-law-school guy. Someone wet behind the ears, cocky, and prone to newbie mistakes. She'd crush him. After all, she was a partner in one of the top divorce firms in Manhattan, with years of trial case experience behind her. She knew the judges, their ticks, and the way they played the game.

And most importantly, she had never, ever lost a case.

That thought alone was enough to make her smile.

There really was nothing to worry about.

* * *

><p>"What does this mean?" Ruby questioned as they made their way up the courthouse steps. "Is this bad?"<p>

Regina shook her head in an attempt to pacify her client. "It's doesn't mean anything. It just means your husband has hired a new attorney."

"His name is Robin Locksley," Ashley supplied, juggling her phone and paperwork, while opening the door for them.

"I've never heard of him." The brunette bit the tip of her manicured nail nervously, the red streaks she put in her hair to match her name much tamer today, as they were neatly slicked back into an elegant chignon.

"Neither have I," admitted Regina, and then added, "but that only makes it better for us, which gives us the advantage."

"So how is that good?" Ruby asked.

"Because he's new in town," Ashley stated absentmindedly, as if it was obvious. She kept busily scrolling away on her phone; Regina had instructed her on their cab ride to the courthouse, to dig up everything and anything she could on this Locksley character.

Ruby shook her head. "I don't like this. I don't like curveballs. The last curveball Victor threw landed me here, in divorce court."

Regina came to a stop just outside of the courtroom door, and gave her a small reassuring smile. "Ruby, it's going to be fine. A new attorney in New York will never get into speed this late in the game. Trust me; I have _never_ lost one of these." She smiled once more, as she pushed open the door, walking along the row leading to her table, where they would sit before the judge.

"_That's_ his new attorney?" Ruby huffed a laugh, and Regina's eye's followed her client's.

"Is he asleep?" Ashley asked incredulously, her brow knitting together, and her mouth set in a disapproving frown.

Regina raised an eyebrow as she looked over the unkempt man lying back in his chair, feet propped up on the table in front of him, softly snoring. His suit was wrinkled, his beard unshaved, and he looked like he was in horrible need of a shower…or six.

"You've got to be kidding me," Regina scowled. She hated laid-back attorneys. Even more than that, she loathed bad manners in a courtroom. This was a place where laws were made, where people's lives and fates were decided on a regular basis. It deserved some modicum of respect, for heaven's sake! This man was her worst nightmare personified.

Ashley and Ruby took their seats on the opposite side of the courtroom. Regina took a deep breath and walked up to meet this new attorney. Her heels clacked on the ground, loudly echoing in the large nearly empty room, yet it did nothing to stir him from his slumber. Pencil in hand she taped him on the shoulder. Once. Twice. Nothing. Regina sighed, and rolled her eyes. Her patience was already all but gone for this man, and holding the tip of her pencil, she stuck the end of it into his ear, wiggling it slightly.

The sides of his mouth tugged into a slight smile, and he opened his eyes unhurriedly until he realized she was standing in front of him. Her brown eyes met his slightly surprised blue ones, which widened a bit as she raised one eyebrow. He cleared his throat and straightened slightly in the chair, his feet coming to rest on the floor.

"Regina Mills, I'm representing Mrs. Whale," she told him, holding out her hand.

"Regina Mills," he echoed, smiling up at her unmoving, but taking her hand in his. His hand was large and warm, the skin slightly rough but not unpleasant, and her slim fingers were almost engulfed by his.

Taking her hand back she tried not to notice his accent, or how startlingly _blue_ his eyes really were, _or_ how deliciously deep his dimples went when he smiled at her like he was doing right now. Confirming once again she said, "Yes, I'm representing Mrs. Whale."

"Of course; I've heard much about you. Robin Locksley." He stood then, and grinning he rubbed the ear she'd previously stuck her pencil into. "That felt good by the way."

Regina narrowed her eyes at him and wrinkled her nose. There went a pencil she was never using again. "I realize you're just now starting to familiarize yourself with the case but I wanted to make you aware of," she paused, as he'd been trying to get her attention, and now his hand came up, pointing at her mouth. "What?"

"You've got a little something just there," Robin Locksley told her, gesturing to the corner of his mouth.

Regina wiped at the spot he indicated, and then realized with a wave of embarrassment she had something on her face. That damned Snowball she shared with Ashley in the cab ride over. God, that was what she got for indulging in sweets.

Just perfect.

"Thank you," she said, and squared her shoulders, pressing on, determined not to let it faze her. "Anyway as I was saying…"

To her complete and utter horror he swiped at the edge of her mouth, and a flash of pink coconut appeared on the tip of his thumb, right before he licked it off. His eyes widened knowingly, and he licked his lips. "Mmm, snowball."

Regina gaped at him. He just gazed back, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

Did he really just do that?

She took a deep breath through her nose, and continued. He was smiling at her now and she really, really needed him to stop. "It has come to our attention that certain assets accumulated during the marriage are unaccounted for, so I've come to an accurate estimate…"

"I don't settle."

Regina chuckled. "I didn't mention settling."

"Unless of course you want to pay me," He dug out his phone from his jacket pocket, and brought up a calculator. After a moment of tapping in some numbers he held it up for her, and he said, "This is what I'll earn for this trial, plus expenses. If so, then we've got something to talk about."

Regina scoffed. "You must be joking."

"Gave it a shot." He held up his hands, and sat back down.

She narrowed her eyes at him and turning around, she began to walk back to her side of the courtroom.

"Good luck… Miss Mills, was it?"

Regina stopped in her tracks, turning around she did not miss the smirk on his face or the way his eyes traveled slowly from the tips of her heeled toes all the way up to her eyes. She nodded once, before continuing back to her chair, taking a seat between her client and Ashley.

"Well?" Ruby inquired nervously, leaning toward her.

"Good news, opposing counsel is insane," Regina whispered, to the women at her table while pulling her notepad out. Glancing over, she found Locksley still watching her. He gave her a wink and she fought hard not to roll her eyes.

"_All rise_," was called out over the courtroom as the judge entered the room and took her seat, Regina leaned towards her client and told her, "Judge Abigail Nolan. Divorced, horribly. Very tough on men."

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." The young blonde judge said to the courtroom, sitting and shifting some documents around without looking up. Finally, after a moment, she laced her fingers together on the podium in front of her, and gave a half smile to the attorney on her right. "Mr. Locksley, I see you're back on the East Coast. I told you that the California sun wasn't good for your skin."

Robin cleared his throat and returned her smile. "Yes, well I did moisturize as per your instructions, Your Honor."

Regina's disbelieving gaze fixed on him and then back to the judge. _Well, shit._ He _would_ have to be the one man in New York that Abigail Nolan didn't hate.

"I'll hear opening arguments," Judge Nolan said, opening up a file. The room went quiet as she waited for Regina to begin.

She felt Ashley's hand on her arm and she shook herself from her stupor. Pushing back her chair, Regina got to her feet. _Brush it off_, _Mills_, she told herself.

"Your Honor, I'd like to move for a continuance," she began, making her way around the desk. "It has come to our attention that a discrepancy exists concerning a reporting of assets, namely several valuable works of art."

"If I may interject, Your Honor," Robin interrupted, causing Regina to purse her lips in irritation. He looked over at her, meeting her heated gaze. "You mean, paintings, sculptures, that kind of stuff?"

"Exactly."

"Paintings like this?"

Regina tilted her head slightly, her lips parting as he held up several large pictures of the paintings in question. "Actually, yes."

"Like this Sicily or this Monet?" Robin made a face at the pictures and tossed them onto the desk in front of him. "Not my kind of thing, to be honest. If I was him I would have given them away too. Which is exactly what he did. Several months ago. Anonymously, to a very prominent museum." His gaze shifted from the judge to Regina smugly. "I'm surprised Mrs. Whale didn't inform you of this, as her name is on the donation document I have here."

He held up a paper and Regina bit the inside of her cheek before looking back at her client with a glare.

"Oh that reminds me, Your Honor,_ I'd_ like to move for a continuance. I have just been retained as Mr. Whale's counsel, and I have yet to fully research all aspects of the case. For instance I have here a," Robin pulled another paper from the stack before him, holding it aloft as he read, "I have a receipt here for six consecutive 28 day stays at the Piney-Woods Rehab Center for Mrs. Whale's treatment of… sexual addiction. I'd like to get to the bottom of that."

She could see Judge Nolan fighting a smile and Regina seethed. "I'll give you one week," Judge Nolan told him.

"Thank you, Your Honor," he replied, catching Regina's eye, before shaking hands with his client.

Regina took her seat once again. Her jaw clenched, she muttered, "Six _months_ for sexual addiction?"

Her client had the good grace to look chastised. "My counselor was _very_ good."

Regina took a long deep breath through her nose. "We need to talk."

* * *

><p>Later that afternoon, Regina sat glumly behind her desk, a headache building behind her eyes. The moment she returned from court Ashley had entered her office, handing her a cold bottle of water and Excedrin. She could have kissed her young assistant, and told her she didn't know what she would ever do without her. Ashley laughed lightly, and agreed Regina would be lost without her.<p>

Once the edge of the headache had worn off, Regina pulled out her phone and dialed her mother. Which was where she found herself right now, on the phone twenty minutes later, Cora listened intently as she vented about the last two hours. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a bag of mint Milanos. "It's not my fault Ruby Whale has the IQ of a Labrador. I'd have found out that Whale gave away the artwork. That's why I asked for the continuance, but this Locksley cretin beat me to it."

"_Do you want me to have him killed?"_

"Mother," Regina scolded lightly. The thing was, she could picture her mother ordering a hit on Robin Locksley as coolly and calmly as she ordered a mojito with her dinner. She shook her head and let the vision dissipate.

"_I meant socially, dear."_

She shook her head. "I don't know, I've never been up against someone like him, he's very un-" Regina searched for the word waving the cookie around in front of her. However the only words coming to mind were words like, handsome, intelligent, and God help her...sexy.

_"Un- what?"_ came her mother's voice when she didn't finish.

She shook herself at that, annoyed at where her thoughts were taking her, and said in an aggravated huff, "Un- something. I can't tell if he's just gotten lucky or is just unbelievably good."

"_Maybe he's both."_

"Thank you, Mother, that helps _so_ much," Regina muttered as she rolled her eyes, and took a bite of her cookie.

"_What are you eating?"_

Regina guiltily stared at the chocolate covered wafer in her hand and swallowed. "Crackers."

_"Is this Locksley guy cute?"_ Her mother's voice asked with a hint of suspicion, but also with no small amount of interest.

"I didn't notice." Regina lied, reaching for another cookie. "Besides, he's not your type. He's old enough to buy his own drinks."

Just then her office door opened and Ashley peeked her head into the room with a quick, "Channel seven," and was then back off to her desk before Regina could reply.

Picking up the remote beside her laptop she turned on the television. A young blonde local reporter filled the screen. "... was in court today where they heard opening arguments in the case of the famous plastic surgeon, Doctor Victor Whale, versus Ruby Whale. The Doctor is being sued for…"

"Turn to channel seven, Mom."'

"... at stake a reported ninety-million dollars. We caught up with Doctor Whale's attorney outside of the court house earlier today." The screen panned to the steps of the courthouse and there he was. Robin Locksley stood there calmly in all his disheveled gorgeous glory. She heard her mother's audible gasp in the background, and Regina's lip curled as she felt again that instant attraction for his untidy stubble and thick British accent. He smiled smugly into the camera and Regina listened as the young reporter ate it all up. "Well, we do feel that Mrs. Whale's demands are a bit unfair. After all it is Doctor Whale's procedures that come with a money-back guarantee, not the Doctor himself."

She shook her head in disgust. Making a face at the screen, she huffed, "Incredible, he's just now gotten into town and he's already working the press."

She could hear her mother's incredulous voice fill the phone over the television,_ "And you didn't notice that he's cute? Regina!"_

Regina frowned. She wasn't going to get into that particular conversation with her mother right now. "Call me later."

"_You take too much after your father…"_

But Regina wasn't listening as she ended the call, her focus only on the man filling the television screen, the man who had quickly become the bane of her existence. "Mrs. Whale's case has about as much chance as a…" Robin Locksley looked directly into the camera, and brought a hand up to the corner of his lip, brushing away at something on his lip before finishing, "snowball's chance in hell." He quirked the corner of his mouth up, and Regina knew, she just _knew_, that he meant it for her.

Regina sat up and narrowed her eyes at the screen challengingly. "Okay, Mr. Locksley. I accept."

* * *

><p>AN: Okay, so I feel you might have a question or two. In this story, Cora is not a monster. Think of this Cora, as the Cora with her heart. The one who told Regina she would have been enough. I love the idea of Cora and Regina being close, almost friends (which is another reason I love the movie so much.) As for Henry, yes he will be in this story, but I won't say how he and Regina are connected just yet. Any other questions or thoughts, please feel free to ask/tell.

And of course, I do not own the characters or the plot really. Only the twist. ;)


	2. Chapter 2

The cab came to a stop at the address Regina had given him. She peered up at the building through the window, and wondered if it was a place she really wanted to venture. She watched as a domestic dispute broke out not too far from the entrance of the "office" building, and she sighed.

"Why am I not surprised?"

The elevator was out of order. _Of course it is_, she thought ruefully to herself. _At least it's on the third floor_.

"Mr. Locksley? Hello?"

Boxes are everywhere, files stacked in uneven columns, and paperwork haphazardly strewn about the place. Open Snicker wrappers adorn the top of his desk, along with a long forgotten Stumptown Coffee cup or three. This man needed an assistant.

"Or a good cleaning service," Regina mumbled to herself.

She grabbed a pen and a yellow note pad from his desk to leave him a note, but the sound of his voice down the steps startled her and she jumped, knocking off a box full of files.

Shit.

As quickly as she could she collected the papers off the floor. She didn't worry about the order. She didn't worry that she had already started a note. She just panicked. Shit. He was going to think she broke in. Fuck. She tossed the files back where they came. He was going to think she'd been snooping. Damn, this was not how she wanted to start off with him, uninvited and on the floor with files scattered all around her. She had them back into place and the box back where it had been before it was knocked over.

She ran out into the stairwell but he was just two floors down and approaching. So she did the only thing she could think of and darted out the emergency exit.

The alarm system blared to life behind her.

* * *

><p>Munching on a bagel that Sunday morning, Regina was happily surprised to find an invitation to a Divorce Seminar at Columbia University. She would be a guest speaker, taking over for another colleague, at the day-long annual conference. Her eyes were wide with excitement, remembering attending a few of those herself in law school, and was amazed they now wanted <em>her<em> to speak. Conferences at Columbia always brought together scholars, practitioners, and students for discussions about the challenges that drive the Family Law community.

Regina frowned, noticing that the seminar was scheduled for the following day. Hardly enough notice, she thought, but shrugged it off just as quickly as the thought came. They asked _her_ to speak.

On Monday morning, Regina was walking on cloud nine. Sure, her ego was inflated a bit, but who could blame her, really? They only invited the most influential attorneys in New York to speak at those seminars and she was one of them.

She dressed that day in her black Armani power suit, with black stiletto heels. She said goodbye to Ashley that afternoon, with a grin, and not a single thought of Robin Locksley.

She was seated at a long table in the front of a large with three other attorneys, whom she knew very well, greeting them with a handshake and a few words before the seminar started. Once everyone had arrived, Regina and the others took a seat

"Very kindly stepping in at the last moment, for David Nolan, one of New York's most successful attorneys. First in her class at Yale, and partner at Harold, Aaron and Fitzpatrick, Regina Mills."

The side entrance way banged open, and all eyes were one the man stumbling into the room. Regina's mouth dropped open.

Locksley.

He was slightly out of breath, and looked like he ran here from his hovel. He stumbled up to the front, and took a seat beside her.

"Sorry, Miss Mills," he told her, reaching across her and taking her water glass. Once he'd finished it, he grinned at her. "Small world, eh?"

The speaker's voice rang out over the room. "And here is another counselor, kind enough to step in at the last minute. Some say there is method in his madness; some say madness is his method. He's practiced in London, Los Angeles, and New York." The speaker's voice held an air of smugness, and Regina fought hard to keep from scrunching her nose at him. "And practice must make perfect because he's never lost a case. The very late Robin Locksley."

Never lost a case, huh?

She leaned over and spoke to him in a hushed tone, "Do you always look like an unmade bed?"

"Uh oh, you've either taken an immediate dislike to me for some inexplicable reason or you're flirting with me." He grinned at her. "Which is it?"

She smiled at the crowd in front of her and muttered, "I'll give you a hint; you're getting warm with your first one."

"What was the second one again?"

She shifted her attention to him. "What are you even doing here?"

"Well, you could be a bit more grateful."

"Grateful for what?"

"My mate, Walt, over there, needed a replacement. He called and asked if I knew an interesting lawyer. I happen to think you're very interesting."

Regina blinked at him. Did that mean that he...? That she was there because of...

"You?" She gaped at him. No. But why? "I'm here because of you?"

"And now please welcome our first analyst, Regina Mills…"

He winked at her. "You're up."

She stood up at the sound of polite clapping, and almost numbly made her way to the podium. Once there, she took a deep breath and began, resolutely refusing to glance back at Locksley. Insufferable man. She would show him _interesting._

"...So my advice to you is, divorce doesn't have to be agony. I challenge you to examine the complex labyrinth that is the human relationship before you start any divorce proceeding, and perhaps we can have more of that special phenomenon that lawyers dream of but rarely see-an amicable divorce settlement." She sat down amid a flurry of more enthusiastic applause than that which had greeted her when she started. She threw a triumphant glance over at Locksley as she sat down, only to find him staring at her with amusement.

"Well done. Would you like one?" He held up a pink snowball and Regina frowned at him.

"And now let's hear from Robin Locksley…"

He took another drink, told her, _cheers, love_, before getting up and walking very confidently over to the podium.

"Thank you, everyone. Wonderful speech, Miss Mills." He smiled at her, and she fought a losing battle not to roll her eyes. "Here's the way I see it. Lawyers are scum." There was a murmuring and quite a bit of laughing before he continued on. "Divorce lawyers are the fungus growing beneath the scum. Divorce is the post mortem of a dead marriage. We represent people who discover a passion for a fight they never knew they had in them. Where was this passion and fight when it was needed to save the marriage?"

Regina's mind began to wonder about the man speaking to the group. Studying his mannerisms and the way he talked about his experience, she could tell that he was, oddly enough, seemingly as passionate to encourage reconciliation as to jump feet-first into a knock-down drag-out divorce proceeding. She had to admit that he had her attention.

Another twenty minutes into his speech, and she was starting to wonder if he planned for a pop quiz at the end. She smirked when he pulled out a pen from the inside of his coat.

"Technology is a wonderful thing. State of the art stuff these days for catching the philandering husband or the cheating wife, and you're all going to get a chance to use it. Like this pen right here." He held it up to the room. "For instance, a camera this small can take a picture this big."

A screen behind Regina came to life. She took a quick glance back, noticing that it was a picture of his office, but unfortunately for her, she did not continue to watch.

"Amazing isn't it?" he asked the room. "Such wonderful clarity. I'm sure all you people at the back there, can see the roses on your suspect's scarf."

Regina froze. Roses? She surreptitiously looked down at her scarf, and then turned around in her chair and raised her eyes to the screen. She instantly regretted it. It was her! Picture after picture appeared of her walking in to his office, knocking over the files, and scrambling to pick them up before her escape. All of them were up on a very large projection for all eyes to see. Luckily her face was never shown, and she wondered why he'd done that. She was certain that in her mad scramble to pick up what she'd knocked over, she'd turned to face the camera several times.

"Now I'm sure the person there didn't realize they were being caught in the act, but the clarity is marvelous. Wouldn't you agree?" he asked, tilting his face to her for just a heartbeat before looking back at the audience.

Regina's eyes narrowed and she began to unwind that very scarf from around her neck.

"Let's all remember, that none of us are in divorce law for love."

His eyes met hers before turning back to the crowd, and barely waited for the moderator to thank the guests before she left. It might be somewhat cowardly to run out before any small talk or mingling, but there were some things she needed to sort out in regards to one Counselor Robin Locksley.

* * *

><p>Regina let herself into her mother's apartment thirty minutes later. Tossing her keys onto the entryway table with a sigh, she called out her mother's name, letting her know she was there.<p>

"In here," Cora's voice carried out from the living room.

"I'm raiding your medicine cabinet," she called back, heading for the bathroom.

"Another headache, dear?"

"Yes, and his name is Robin Locksley."

"I think you like him." Her mother's voice held a definite smirk.

"Like him?" Regina echoed in exasperation, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, and practically stomping into the room with her. _Highly attracted to_ didn't mean _like_, right? "Are you crazy?"

"Maybe, but I'm also your mother, and my dear, I know you too well." She was reclining back against the couch, and her eyes were hidden behind large dark sunglasses. Regina came to a stop in the middle of the room, taking her mother in, and her eyebrows rose as she tilted her head curiously.

"What's with the..." But whatever she was about to say was forgotten, as Cora slid off the sunglasses. Regina took one look at her mother's face and cringed. "Ahhh, Mom, what did you do?"

Cora pulled a hand mirror from the coffee table beside her. Holding it up, she gently touched her bruised eyes. "I know it looks painful but I can see the results already. I have the lower lids of a teenager. A teenager that's been thrown through a windshield, but a teenager nevertheless."

Regina left the room shaking her head; she retrieved an ice pack from the freezer and a clean dish towel. "I didn't sleep at all last night because of that insufferable man." she told her mother as she wrapped the towel around the ice pack and handed it to her, then taking a seat beside her as Cora gingerly placed the towel over her eyes. "Mark my words, one day soon I'm going to catch him with his guard down, and then kick him in the body part of my choosing."

Cora smiled and then held up one finger in her daughter's general direction. "Just be careful, you've never lost a big case."

"Yeah, and neither has he," Regina sighed.

Cora chuckled. "And that's what's irresistible to you, isn't it?"

Regina gave her a pointed look before remembering that her mother's eyes were covered, and therefore the look was wasted. She resorted to a sharp "_Mother_."

"I'm sorry."

Regina's eyes lit up as an idea sprang to life.

"That's it," she gasped softly, getting to her feet. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner, it's so obvious."

"What is?"

"I'll apologize."

Cora removed the ice pack from her eyes, and look up at her daughter with a bewildered frown. "To Locksley? Why? You haven't done anything wrong."

"Exactly. It'll be the last thing he expects. It's the perfect strategy. A sincere apology is just a manipulation tactic like, forgiveness or generosity. He'll fall for it. He's English. They're all born with manners and politeness. He'll never see it coming."

Cora smiled proudly at her. "You are so adorable when you're going for the kill."

* * *

><p>She stayed at her mother's a little while longer, then with a quick stop by Macy's, and a long cab ride later, Regina arrived at Robin Locksley's apartment. Straightening her jacket, adjusting her purse, and took a deep breath before knocking on apartment 4B.<p>

Whatever she was expecting was nothing like what she got when he opened his door. He was wearing jeans that showed off lean hips and a light blue tee shirt that emphasized a broad, muscled chest, and his hair was wet. Regina tried hard to erase the image of him so obviously, and so recently, in the shower, and firmly dragged her eyes away from his body and up to his face.

To say he was surprised to see her was an understatement, but he reigned in his shock and smiled at her.

She held out a small gift bag to him. "Hi, I've come to apologize."

"Oh?" He smirked, leaning against the door frame. "You're bothering to knock. Isn't your specialty break and enter?" He took the bag, his fingers lightly brushing hers, and Regina stifled a shiver at the contact. How the hell was he affecting her so strongly? She pasted on a stiff little smile.

"Hysterical, and I didn't break and enter. If you review your surveillance tape, and just how paranoid are you, by the way, you'll notice the door was open and I had a pen and paper in my hands. My _intention_ was to have a meeting, so I was leaving you a note. My _apology_ is for any confusion."

"Oh? I don't know what to say."

She smiled more widely. "Come in would be nice."

Opening the door, he told her, "By all means, Milady, come in." Her brows furrowed briefly at _Milady_, but dismissed it as something quirkily British.

"You're lucky I don't sue you for injuries I sustained when I picked up those heavy file boxes. Isaac vs. Masters, treacherous conditions in the workplace."

"Oh, you were hurt?"

"I got a paper cut." She smiled sweetly as she held up a finger. "Open your present."

Robin reached in the bag, and after unwrapping the package inside, held up a dark blue tie. "Oh look at that, very nice."

Regina began to wander his apartment. "I thought you'd enjoy one without a stain."

He bit the inside of his cheek, amused at her spirited banter, before replying. "Interesting presumption. You gave a good speech the other day by the way. Very provocative, the _butter-wouldn't-melt-in-my-mouth_ guide to divorce."

She raised her brows. Was he mocking her? "I take the high road. I use the law, not cheap theatrics."

"Okay… a meeting is a brilliant idea. So let's get on with it, shall we?" Robin said just an instant before he pulled off his tee shirt.

Oh. _Oh_, my.

He had looked fit with the tee, but good lord, the man obviously kept in shape. One look at his defined chest, abs, and whoa... Regina's eyes widened, her jaw dropping open. Her cheeks flushed as she looked away, and the apartment suddenly felt hot. "Excuse me?" She was mortified that her voice was almost an octave higher than normal.

"Let's have a meeting over dinner, and since you initiated it, you should take me out. Don't you think?"

Regina almost gasped in relief that her mind's little trip down the gutter was not where Robin had been going, and she felt a flash of annoyance that she was slightly disappointed. "Yes, of course."

"Or we could eat here." Robin's lips pulled into a smirk, as he reached over to a nearby chair where he had a light blue button up shirt. Pulling it on he told her, "I don't have Snowballs, but I have Twinkies."

Regina gave him an unamused glare, and pulling out her phone from her purse, she speed dialed her assistant. "Hello, Ashley, would you book my regular table at Four Seasons, please-"

"No, no, no," Robin said, cutting her off, closing the few feet distance between them and reaching for her phone. "My choice," he told her, while bringing it up to his ear. "Thank you, Ashley but that won't be necessary, cheers, darling."

He ended the call and dropped her phone back into her bag.

"That's fine," Regina let out a breath. "As long as it isn't outside. There's a storm front moving in, and there's a sixty-percent chance of rain tonight. I watch the Weather Channel with my godson."

He studied her for a moment, a small smile playing across his lips. "Could you be more fascinating?"

Regina frowned. She wasn't up on the latest movies and TV shows, and she'd never gotten the hang of video games or the appeal of comic books and superheroes, so discussing the science of weather and the differences in certain areas of the country, as well as the fallibility of many a meteorologist, was one of the few things she and Henry could share. And Robin was making fun of that. He noticed her frown and gently laid a hand on her arm. Regina felt another shock of awareness at the heat of his fingers on her.

"I wasn't mocking you, Milady. I truly find your range of interests fascinating." His eyes were warm and sincere, and Regina was mollified.

He removed his hand and gestured for her to precede him out the door, and Regina couldn't decide if she wanted to be grateful for his explanation or annoyed that she felt a loss when he took away his hand.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, they pulled up in front of his office building. Robin jumped out of the cab and pointed to an unsightly looking cafe front. He took her hand and led her around the building and to the end of a footpath, where an eclectic collection of tables and chairs were scattered about, over which hung a rather faded red, green, and white sign that read <em>The Matador.<em>

The hostess sat them in a booth in the back near a window away from the noise of the band playing, and after she was seated, Robin took his place opposite her.

Regina picked up her menu, and Robin sat back watching her. "You're not eating?"

He nodded. "Absolutely, I'm starved. It's just that I come here so often that I know the menu forwards and backwards. My little home away from home."

"Ah, I see. Well what do you recommend then?"

Pivoting forward, he took one side of the menu, while Regina held the other. He pointed to several different dishes. "The mazatlan is wonderful, as well as the enchilada vallarta, and the arroz con pollo is one of my favorites."

"I'll just leave myself in your capable hands then."

"I assure you will be more than satisfied."

She gave him a pointed look and he winked before the waitress arrived, diverting his attention. Robin was on a first name basis with the young woman and Regina watched as he ordered their food. The young Maria was completely and utterly charmed by her well-known patron.

"And dos huevo de chivo, por favor."

"Huevo de chivo?" The waitress's eyebrows climbed into her hairline, and she looked at Regina a moment, before settling her eyes back on Robin. "With the huevo?"

"Oh, si."

Regina did an internal eye roll. She was half Puerto Rican, and spent enough summers with her grandparents to know exactly what they were saying, and if Robin's look was anything to go by, he knew she did, too.

He looked back at the band and then at her while she attempted to straighten her blazer. "I love this place. Almost romantic, yeah?"

"No." She shook her head and turned to gaze at the roadway.

Robin blew out a long exhale. "Okay."

Taking a drink of her water, she studied him a moment before asking, with narrowed eyes, "So what's with this high mortality passion within a marriage you were sprouting?"

"Well, don't you just ever want to smack your clients?" He returned, with a wave of his hand. "Tell them to go home and sort it out?"

"Actually no, I don't. Every case I handle convinces me further that marriage is dead in the water."

Robin crossed his arms on the table and looked at her thoughtfully. "I see."

"I see?" Her eyebrows rose.

He gave her a result nod. "Yup."

She waited and with nothing forthcoming she asked, "That's it? You see?"

"Yes, I do. I see a lot." He paused, and then asked, "Are you dating anyone?"

"'I see a lot.' 'Are you dating anyone?' What kind of transition is that?"

He gave her a crooked knowing smile. "I don't think you are."

"Oh, this is what you see…You don't think I could be dating anyone. I could be dating, mister. Trust me, I could have been to every restaurant in the city, I date so much." Robin threw his hands up in surrender, and she sat back crossing her arms and well on the defensive. "Oh what is this, hands in the air, I rest my case...what is that?"

"So you're not dating." He shrugged as if it weren't a big deal as Regina opened her mouth to protest, and then he asked, "Why not?"

"Alright, since you asked..." Regina sighed and paused, gathering the right words, but he continued on, not waiting for her to finish.

"You're stunning…" he began.

She shook her head and shrugged. "What is dating anyways?"

"Intelligent…" His hand came down to hover above hers. His index finger started tracing a pattern on her wrist, as he told her, "You have the most beautiful..."

"It's trial marriage," she blurted out, and pulled her hand away before he could continue with the sensual touch on her wrist.

"What?" He looked at her, cocking his head, genuinely surprised. "Trial marriage? You just told me marriage is dead in the water."

She shrugged again. "And that's why I don't date. Subject closed." When he didn't respond and she could take no more of the silence, she finally asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking, what happened in your past that made you give up on happy endings?"

Regina frowned and her face paled slightly.

"I never said I've given up. I just don't date." Those words struck a chord that was both pleasant and painful. The sentiment was a reminder of happier times and all that slipped away due to an undiscovered weak valve in Daniel's heart that gave out without warning. She hated how closed off she had let herself become these days, how different from the person she'd been with Daniel, and it was that realization that sent a pang of regret, making her chest ache. It was a long time since she'd taken a chance on even the idea of a relationship and she was very out of practice.

Time had been her enemy and she hated to think that she'd lost that part of herself. Her "trial marriage" had been wonderful until it had been ripped away, and her work showed her more and more that whether by an act of nature or by deliberate human involvement, twining two lives into one didn't work well. And the last time she'd tried dating, Leo's possessiveness and yet indifference to what she liked quickly put a stop to that. Regina traced the rim of her water glass before looking back up to Robin. She took a moment to study him, as his gaze was drawn to the live band in the back of the restaurant. When he turned his eyes back on her, he gave her a warm smile, and Regina sensed that he somehow understood that she'd had bad luck in the dating department. He really could be charming when he wasn't talking.

"How about you?" she blurted out.

_Shit._ Where did that come from?

"How about me, what?" he asked.

Regina had to know, though. "Are you dating anyone?"

_Seriously, Regina? Stop. Talking._

He chuckled. "I thought you just closed that subject."

Casting her doubts aside, Regina clicked her tongue. "I just reopened it."

"You mean, apart from tonight?" He grinned at her, and leaned back into the rich leather upholstery of their booth. He really needed to stop doing that. God, he was so disarmingly attractive when he smiled like that. Those dimples should be illegal.

Regina chortled quietly, strangely emboldened by his words, and with one last sideways glance, she assured him primly, "This isn't a date. _This_is a meeting."

"Seriously?" He looked almost disappointed. Regina was confused. Had he _really_ thought _this_ was a _date_?

"Yes, seriously." She sighed, straightening her spine she explained, "My first response is what I live by personally and professionally. A person's first response is what they truly feel."

"Yes, that's very good, very profound." He nodded along, and leaned forward on the narrow table, closing the distance between them. "I couldn't agree more, but can't we reach a compromise? Call it an intimate meeting?"

Regina sat back as he came forward, and she shook her head. "Intimacy doesn't change anything. Business is business."

Robin's smiled turned into a teasing pout, and his gaze bore into hers with those wide blue eyes, biting his bottom lip, and then said, "You don't really mean that, do you?"

"Oh boy," she began, and swallowed hard as a rush of want coursed through her as she watched him watching her, and then she laughed. "Don't you try and analyze me with that disheveled, _my eyes are so blue and I have a British accent therefore I have insight into all things women_. There are no psychoanalytical shortcuts into my pants."

Regina winced as she mentally reviewed the words that had spilled out of her, and Robin smirked at her as their waitress chose that very moment to set their drinks in front of them.

"Dos huevo de chivo," she repeated their drink order, and gave Robin a wink before walking away.

Swallowing, Regina looked down at the shot glass filled with a light grey murky substance, then back up at Robin. "What, no umbrella?"

"You're going to have to drink this. It's an old Cuban tradition I learned back in law school. Before a duel, the two opponents would drink the huevo de chivo. It means just because I want to kill you, doesn't mean I don't love and respect you."

She raised a doubtful eyebrow, as he in turn raised his shot glass. She sighed, following suit, and when they clinked the glasses together, he said, "Huevo de chivo."

Regina grimaced and sputtered as the liquid went down her throat. God, she'd never tasted anything so awful in all her life. "What the hell _is _that?"

"Huevo de chivo. Goat's nut."

"I know what the words _mean_, Locksley, but what the hell is _that_? Industrial waste? Ugh, it's vile." She grabbed her water glass, taking a long drink and sloshing the water around in her mouth.

His mouth tipped into a half grin watching her. "Too strong for you?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Not at all. Let's have another."

"No," he started, shaking his head, and giving her a look. "There's a reason the duelists only had one. This is lethal stuff, Regina."

"Really? I didn't notice." Regina bristled. She doubted she could drink this man under the table, but there was no way in hell Regina was going to let him get the best of her. She held her hand aloft, and turned to get the server's attention. The young woman nodded to her, and Regina turned, giving Robin a satisfied smirk.

"You sure you want to do this?"

"What, drink you under the table?" She laughed, and peeled off her jacket, leaving her in a cap sleeve form-fitting black shirt. God, that was so much better. It was so hot in this place. She barely noticed Robin giving her an appreciative once-over. "You don't stand a chance, Locksley."

Four shot glasses were each lined up in front of them, as they toasted another. This time it was Regina that raised her glass first, and toasted, "Huevo de chivo!" before tossing it back, leveling a challenging stare at him.

Robin mirrored her response, and then they downed another.

She turned her empty shot glass upside down beside the others. "Ha!"

"You've made your point, Miss Mills."

She chuckled, leaned forward on her elbows, and raised a perfectly shaped brow. "Have you had enough?"

He leaned forward slightly, and she could tell he was enjoying this. He quirked an eyebrow and Regina rolled her eyes again, her lips pursing as she tried to suppress a smile. Robin laughed.

She blinked slowly, her eyes never leaving his, and just as his mouth dropped dangerously close to hers, the sound of thunder crashed above them and their eyes glanced towards the window of the restaurant, just in time to see a flash of lightning light up the street.

"Well it seems that weather report of yours has come to fruition. Did you bring an umbrella, then?"

* * *

><p>"Care to share a cab?" he asked, turning to her just in time as he watched her pitch a bit to the right, and his hands came up to steady her. "Steady on. Alright there?"<p>

"I'm fine."

He chuckled, and boy was it a rich deep thing that she just wanted to hear again and again. "Well, at least we'll both be equally hung over when we meet Judge Nolan in the morning."

Ugh, right how could she forget? Judge Abigail Nolan. Her lips press together in irritation. "Right, you and the Judge. What's the story behind that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You both seemed very chummy," she stated, with as much disinterest as possible. Though, she was pretty sure he could see though that. She leaned against the wall of the restaurant beside him. She looked up at him, her eyes drawn to his lips, and licked her lips in response, and there he went biting that bottom lip again.

He took a couple of steps closer to her and murmured, "Jealous, are we?"

Regina gave an unladylike snort, "Hardly."

Robin managed to get the attention of a cab, and she stumbled forward a bit. He held out a hand to steady her, and she leaned into his warmth.

Just before he reached for the door handle he paused. Regina looked up as he leaned in, placing a light kiss on her lips. She was too shocked by the feel of his mouth on hers to do more than just stand there. He leaned back a bit, but he was still close enough so when she opened her eyes, his blue eyes meet her brown ones, and he asked in a hushed whisper, "You sure?"

"Sure of what?"

"You're not jealous? I would hate to think you had feelings for me, other than when I drive you mad with lovable irritation."

Regina started to answer with some retort, when he effectively silenced her by backing her up against the cab. His hands on her hips, he slowly closed the distance between them, and just before their lips met he paused, waiting for...what? Permission? Regina shook her head fractionally.

"I... We can't…" She was almost breathless, and she didn't have a chance to finish her sentence or her next thought, as both evaporated from her mind as her lips met his once again. They were surprisingly warm against her mouth, a delightful contrast to the cold spring rain.

Closing her eyes, Regina concentrated on the sensations. Their mouths molded together, hands searching, and the trickle of water over quickly warming flesh made her shiver with anticipation.

She could feel his hardness pressed into her, and liquid heat spread through her. Her head tilted back and she sighed softly and whispered. "I hate you, but I want you." Her eyes looked upwards, hesitant to see if he wanted to continue after that.

She needn't have worried. Robin's lips slid from her mouth to her neck, and he whispered huskily against her throat, "You have me."

"Take me home then."

He pulled back and stared at her, and then growled and pulled her mouth back to his, kissing her with warm lips. His hot, insistent tongue demanded entrance, and when she opened her mouth and felt him deepen the kiss, her head whirled and her knees grew weak. And when he slid his hand into her hair to keep her close, she was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Author's Note: So yeah, this chapter changes this story to an M rating. Scroll down to the first break if sexy times is not your cuppa. _****_Sorry, I'm not sorry?_**

* * *

><p>They stumbled into his apartment, and the door hadn't even closed behind them when just like that, he hauled her into his arms and his mouth found hers. She kissed him back, and the press of his lips on hers stole the breath from her lungs.<p>

A groan came from deep in his chest and it vibrated against her, making her knees weak. His arms wrapped around her, his hands shifting, kneading, stroking as he tried to pull her closer, his body enveloping hers.

They were moving, not that she'd noticed, but all of sudden her back was against the wall and his hands were pressing, probing, touching in, _oh _God… in all the right places.

She arched into him; her fingers gripping convulsively at his shoulders as his hands kneaded her sensitive breasts.

They shouldn't be doing this, a small voice in the back of her mind warned her, but then her hands were in his hair, her fingers tugging harder than they should, not that he seemed to mind. His teeth gently nipped her neck, and then his lips were on hers again, and his tongue swept through her mouth to taste her.

All coherent thought evaporated in the heat of his mouth and touch of his hands.

Clothes disappeared, discarded in piles on the floor, kicked out of the way, as they swayed and staggered across the room, gasping, groaning, as skin met skin. She felt an uncharacteristic giggle leave her as he swore "_bugger_" under his breath, fumbling with the clasp of her bra, before he flung it away and his hands touched her bare skin, turning the giggle into a breathy moan.

He was murmuring words against her neck and her breasts, his breath leaving scorching trails across her chest – the moisture raising goose bumps on her skin as the cooler air of the room hit it. Her nipples ached, hard and needy, until his lips clamped around one. She cried out in pleasure, arching into him as his hand splayed across her back, pulling her firmly to him. Her heart was racing and she could feel its pulse between her legs, loud, demanding and drenched in want.

They tumbled onto his bed in a tangle of limbs. Her open-mouthed kisses pressed against the thudding pulse in his neck as his hand slid between her thighs, finding her slick and hot, and he growled, mumbling into her neck how _wet _she was, how _good _she felt, and his fingers continued moving, driving her mad with need, a hard and fast rhythm in and out, over and over again. _Oh!_

She felt the wave start to crest over her, her body tingling in anticipation. She was going to come. It was embarrassingly quick, but it had been so long, and she wanted him so badly that it was impossible to hold back the sensations. Her body shuddered, her belly taut and her back rigid as her hips ground against his hand. She stifled a moan, pressing her face into the crook of his shoulder as she was hit by a sudden sense of uncertainty and vulnerability.

He must have sensed her hesitation, and gently wove the fingers of his free hand through her hair, bringing her head up so he could see her. "Look at me, Regina. I want to see you."

She couldn't look away, even if she'd tried.

His fingers glided deeper, slick and agile, curling slightly inside her to hit just _that_ spot, and then his thumb pressed on her swollen clit. With his eyes riveted to hers, Regina's world exploded in wave after wave, her eyelids closing against the glare but her mouth open in a keening cry of release. He was still with her; she could feel him and hear him.

There was heat and light and lightness, the rhythmic throb of her body, taking her higher and higher until, breathless, she gasped and reality reasserted itself, and she was in his arms again.

She collapsed on the bed, panting, and turned her face into his neck above her, her lips already plucking at the skin there as she felt him hot and hard against her thighs. She draped her leg over his hips, turning him onto his back as she straddled him. Her hands pressed into the yielding flesh over muscle on his chest. He grasped her hips, steadying her, and they both moaned as she rubbed her throbbing wet center against his shaft.

Without preamble, she rose up and took him inside her. The stretch, the fullness, the heat... She kept her eyes open and met his bright blue ones, his pupils dilated in pleasure. He groaned and arched, pressing deeper. She moaned. It felt… it felt… _oh_ God, it felt _amazing._

His fingers dug into her hips as she rocked on top of him. He was fighting his climax, gritting his teeth even as he thrust up hard into her, holding back, but she didn't want that. She wanted it all, everything, all of him. She was going to come again; she could feel a throb and fullness deep inside her, different from before but just as incredible.

He took control, fingers gripping as he angled her hips, pulling her down on him even as he pushed up hard into her, soft rhythmic grunts keeping time until it all unraveled, and she cried out and came, her body pulsing hard around him. He pumped up deeper, once, twice and again before holding her there. He bit his bottom lip and then he moaned her name as he found his own release. She could feel the throb of him inside her, the heat of him spreading, the warmth of them, together. Her muscles twitched once more with the thought as he rolled them over and kissed her languidly before finally pulling out of her and tucking her against his side.

They were slick with sweat, deliciously sated and sore. It had been a long time for Regina. She wasn't sure about Robin, but from his reaction, she figured it had probably been a while for him too. She liked that idea more than she thought she should.

His hand was still moving, skimming over the slick skin of her belly, his thumb stroking the hollow of her hipbone and his lips moving against her temple, his breath warm on her skin.

She wasn't sure how much later it was but she could feel him, hardening again against her thigh. It made her smile_._

"There it is," he murmured. "There's that elusive but satisfied smile I've been wondering if I would see. What's that beautiful smile about, eh?"

He'd rolled them over, and his lips found her nipple, her mind going blissfully blank. How did he expect her to think of an intelligible answer when he was doing that?

She sighed and then let out a deep throaty moan. Robin smiled.

* * *

><p>They'd must have done it three times that night. The man was insatiable, which was yet another attribute in his favor. Damn him. It had been her intention to leave, but much to her delight, the question was made irrelevant when he tucked her against his side, kissed her until she was breathless and, swiftly fell asleep.<p>

She blinked awake. It was morning. She smiled and stretched, muscles made deliciously sore from last night's activity making themselves known, and nestled further beneath the covers. It wasn't until she thought about work, and how today was… Shit. She had… no. _They_ had to be in court this morning. She sat up in his bed with a gasp, holding the blankets against her. "Oh my God," she whispered harshly. "What have I done?"

"What's that?" His voice called from another room.

Regina's head fell into her hands.

"Coffee?" He asked her, setting a mug of black coffee on the bedside table. Her hands fell away from her face, and she threw him a narrow-eyed glare, but it was suddenly and quite wonderfully kissed away. Pulling away from her, he bit his lip and grinned at her bemused expression. Smug bastard. "I'm going to take a shower. Due in court in 45 minutes. I put your clothes in the dryer."

She fell back into the bed and sighed, closing her eyes. It wasn't until a few moments went by that his words hit her and her eyes popped open. "Oh God, the dryer?"

Tossing the blankets aside, she grabbed Robin's discarded tee shirt beside the bed. Pulling it over her head she made her way through the living room, into the laundry and pulled open the dryer. No, no, no. You do not dry _anything_ from Saks, let alone her favorite Akris Punto jacket and skirt… oh no. No, maybe it was okay. Wait.

Where the hell were her...

"I wore underwear yesterday. That much I remember," she muttered to herself as she conducted a quick but fruitless search of the surrounding area.

Walking back into the bedroom, she pulled on the skirt first. Zipping it at the side, she breathed a sigh of relief as zipped all the way to the top. Once she was dressed in everything but her jacket, she ran her fingers through her long curly locks. She did one more quick search around the room for her underwear and hair pins, but it was futile. With an aggravated sigh, she pulled on her jacket.

_Damnit._

Just what she expected. It had shrunk. She tried to button it but the fabric cinched at her bust. _Shit._ Throwing her hands out to the side she mumbled out an, "At least we'll both show up to court looking like hell."

It was then that the door to the bathroom opened and Regina's jaw dropped. Robin stood in the door frame, with a perfectly pressed dark grey suit, beard trimmed, and that cocky smile looking her over. "Ready?"

Her hands dropped to her sides. "Seriously? That's what you're wearing?"

Robin looked a bit taken aback. "What, you don't like it? You didn't like the more casual look, so I put this on. The tie looks good." He smirked, her gift tied neatly around his neck. She frowned, but before she could say anything, he kissed her temple and walked around her. "Breakfast?"

* * *

><p>Regina refused to share a cab with Robin. Even with his ridiculous pout and quick kiss to her lips that made her knees weak, she stood firm.<em> "How would it look?"<em> she'd asked him in exasperation. Taking his hands in hers she pulled them away from her hips and gestured between them. "And _this_ cannot happen again. You understand?"

"No, not really."

"We're opposing attorneys…" she started, backing up a few steps.

"With a case that is nearly over." He returned, closing the distance between them.

"There are bound to be other cases-" she started again, backing up more.

"Which we won't necessarily be assigned to," he interrupted, trying to step forward again.

She stopped him with a hand on his chest. "You don't want to date me."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm… well, I'm _boring_. I stay at home on the weekends, I watch the Weather Channel for entertainment, and my best friend also happens to be my mother."

"And I find that all delightfully endearing."

She frowned, sure he was lying. Who in their right mind found that _endearing_? "Your cab is here."

He took one of her hands, and bringing it up to his mouth, he kissed her knuckles. "This conversation is not over, milady."

She frowned. "As far as I'm concerned, it is."

He kissed her again, pulling her against him as he plundered her mouth for a moment before pulling away and stepping into the cab. God, he really needed to stop doing that, or she needed to stop letting him. Once his cab was finally off, Regina pulled out her phone and dialed Ashley, hailing another taxi as she did so. "Hey it's me. I need you to meet me at the courthouse, I'm leaving now. Bring my files and a very large, very strong coffee." She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And please bring the change of clothes from my office. Yes, all of it. Yes, even that." She ended the call and sighed again, just knowing that Ashley would be smirking at her the whole day, because her entire change of clothes from the office also included…panties.

* * *

><p>"Ninety-seven million dollars, Your Honor, and yet he is trying to hold my client to a prenup which we have shown is clearly suspect? Ruby Whale is entitled to at least half his assets and a monthly stipend."<p>

"You don't really mean that."

Regina tilted her head towards him. Her eyebrows rose. "What?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Miss Mills, but are you suggesting that because the number was so large that your client is entitled to more than what was agreed upon in the prenup? Because that was not your position last night." He bit his cheek, as her eyes widened at the insinuation.

He was _not_.

"Assuming you remember last night's…" A smile pulled his lips into a pleased grin before adding, "Position."

Two can play at this game. She plastered a smiled on her face and countered, "I am speaking -this morning- of two people who were husband and wife, two people who shared eight years together, a wife who in some of their most intimate moments inspired her husband's greatest feats."

_Ha!_

"Oh yes, what was it you said last night, it was brilliant, oh I've got it right here." Robin reached into his pocket. A flash of red was her only preparation, before he pulled out a folded piece of silk. _Oh_ no. He wouldn't. He did! With her panties in hand from the night before he read, "Intimacy doesn't change a thing. Business is business."

"How dare you!" she yelled, moments away from closing the distance and smacking that smug look from his face.

"Alright, I've heard enough." Judge Nolan called out, saving Counselor Locksley from a bloody lip. "According to the State of New York, Mrs. Whale signed a prenuptial agreement that no one has proved to me is flawed in any way. So the court rules that the document holds and assets will be divided according to its provisions. Case dismissed."

Regina glared at Locksley from across the room.

Judge Nolan stood and said with a final, "And whatever the two of you have going on, take it outside."

* * *

><p>"Regina!" His voice called from the top steps outside of the courthouse. "Regina wait, wait, just one moment."<p>

She wasn't going to stop. She really wasn't, and it was not until she realized that he was still coming after her did she pause and took a deep breath through her nose.

"Come on, please," he implored, coming around her and taking her gently by the arm. His eyes searched hers, and he said, "Let me explain, please."

Regina looked pointedly at the hand on her arm, scowling. Those damn eyes would be her undoing; however, she remembered his smirk when he pulled out her underwear and anger took hold once again. She lifted her head and demanded, "What the hell was _that_ back there?"

He shook his head at her. "You don't get it, do you? I just paid you the ultimate compliment."

Regina scoffed. "Complement?"

"Aye, that's right." Robin took another step towards her. "You forced me to fight dirtier than I've ever had to do before. That's how good you are."

She frowned. He considered _that_ a _compliment_? "Oh please, save the British shmooze for someone with less of a brain. You fighting dirty doesn't mean you think I'm good, which I am, by the way. It just means you don't respect me enough to fight fair." She saw him blink in surprise, but was too angry to consider that he was being sincere. "You owe me an apology."

Robin raised a brow at that, and when he answered, his voice was only slightly less indignant than hers. "Like the apology you gave me last night?"

Regina pursed her lips. She might have had that coming. "Okay, I was trying to soften you up, and then I let you seduce me so you think you had the upper hand."

Robin snorted and ran a hand through his hair. Shaking his head, he gave her an incredulous gaze. His brow furrowed, as he said, "You let me? You _let _me seduce you?"

She smiled widely. Oh, ho… Someone doesn't like that at all. She ignored the fact that it had been completely and totally each seducing the other. "Are you wounded, Mr. Locksley?"

"Hey, hey, last night was very special, there's no need to trash it just because I beat you," he told her.

There was something in his eyes that told her he really meant it, but the fact that she had just lost her first case cut deep. So she ignored the little flutter in her stomach, squared her shoulders, and laced her voice with sarcasm.

"You know, you need to toughen up a little bit, Locksley. If I got bruised by every lawyer I bagged I'd be living in a padded cell in Belleview right now." She walked down the few steps to him, and reaching into his jacket pocket she pulled out her underwear. Holding them up she asked, "Are you finished with these?"

She stalked away from him, but not before he saw the sparkle of rage and…hurt...in those brown depths, and he was suddenly saddened. This was not all him; this was something in her past, he was certain, and he damned whoever had hurt her, because he was sure he had just lost whatever chance he might have had with Regina Mills.

* * *

><p>"Bagged?" Cora's amused laugh rang out over racks of Saks Fifth Avenue. While lifting an amused eyebrow, she asked her daughter, "You actually used the word <em>bagged<em>?"

Regina chuckled, picking up a particularly amazing pair of dark red pumps. "Right on the courthouse steps in the twenty-first century." She quickly slipped on the shoes and then frowned. They might look amazing, but she needed shoes that would stand up to a day at court or a long networking party, and she could tell these shoes would kill her feet in less than an hour. She took them off and regretfully placed them back on their shelf.

"Wow," Cora replied, with a proud smile then added, "and my dear, how many have you bagged?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "None, that's not the point, Mother."

"Shhhh!" Cora looked around the department store, frowning. Once she was assured they were not being overheard she turned back to her daughter and implored, "Regina, look at me. I don't know where you developed this inability to admit when you're attracted to someone. It's not healthy and you know it. And I promise you one day you will wake up with a wedding ring on your finger and you will be the happiest person to be married."

Regina shook her head. "I am not attracted to him, I just hate that dealing with him had to get so low down."

Cora let out another laugh as she said, "My dear, you decided to do divorce law. At what point did you think it was going to get _classy_?" She squeezed Regina's arm, giving her a sympathetic smile until something caught her eye. Her mother gasped, and her attention focused to just beyond Regina's shoulder, her voice dropping to a reverent whisper. "The new Anastasias are in."

Regina's brows knitted together. Following behind her mother she asked, "Who?"

"Anastasia," Cora replied, handling the fabric of a dress hanging from a rack as though it was made of gold. "The hottest new designer out there."

Regina shrugged. She'd never been into fashion that didn't include power suits. "Never heard of her."

Her mother scoffed. "Of course you have, she's married to Will Scarlet."

Now she really was lost. "Who?"

"The lead singer of the Archers, honey." Cora smacked Regina's shoulder as she passed by her, taking another dress from a nearby display. Honestly, it sometimes surprised her that she'd given birth to Regina, whose personality and interests were so polar opposite her own. Even Regina's father Henry had been more aware of the social scene! "He just signed another recording contract, 50 billion or something..." Her mother held up the dress and looked approvingly into the mirror on the wall. "Oh, Anastasia, she understands the last thing to go on a woman are her shoulders."

Regina nodded gravely. "She's bound to win a Nobel Prize."

Her mother smirked, not at all bothered by Regina's sarcasm. "At least."

Marching off with the dress into the dressing room, Cora left Regina to her own devices. She continued to browse through the racks of the "Anastasias", finally taking a deep purple dress to the now vacated mirror and holding it up to herself. She could see herself in it. She imagined wearing it for a certain attorney with bright blue eyes, and then lightly scolded herself. "Focus, Regina. Focus."

* * *

><p>Alone in her apartment, Regina smiled to herself as she took another mouthful of pumpkin pancake. God, it tasted good! <em>So<em> much better than regular pancakes, and it made her wonder how something as simple as delicious food could dramatically affect her frame of mind. Granted, she had been a sugar junkie as of late, so she shouldn't have been too surprised, but the thought made her frown.

This case with Robin had been an unwelcome but crucial wake-up call. For the first time in her career, she'd felt something other than the intense high and ego-inflating effects of winning. And that was the gut punch that came with losing, and it was a bitter pill to swallow.

Contrary to what her mother, Ashley, or her partners thought, a spot-free record was something she'd prided herself on. It now only reaffirmed her beliefs that relationships had consequences, especially relationships inside the courtroom. The moment she let her guard down her life became a parade of disasters.

One loss had become two, and in the few months she'd faced against Robin Locksley, she had managed to get only one up on him. The count was 1-2 in her favor and she sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight. They baited each other like crazy in the courtroom, and sometimes she wondered if their clients didn't feel like they'd been crazy themselves for picking the two of them.

Setting her professional losses aside, her emotional wounds were now healed; she was now filled with fresh determination for her future. It felt good. She was also filled with new determination to keep Robin Locksley at arms' length. He'd been annoyingly persistent; calls to her office, offers to meet for breakfast, lunch, dinner, casual meetings, trying to talk to her at free moments in the two trials they'd worked after the Whale divorce; he wouldn't give up. But Regina wouldn't risk it, _couldn't_ risk it; just one thought of what happened after one dinner (and she pushed aside the absolutely _fantastic_ sex) and she could only imagine the disaster that would ensue should she put her heart out there further. To that end, she'd made absolute sure that any clients she took on did not have Robin as their spouse's attorney.

She sighed. He'd seemed to have put a stop to things for the time being, and while most of her was glad her persistence paid off, another tiny part of her couldn't help wondering. She felt it rearing again, the thought of _what if_ floating through her mind, along with the memory of his touch on her skin, and she ruthlessly squashed it down.

After taking another mouthful of delicious pancake, she looked up as a loud knock sounded on her door. Looking down at her phone beside her she glanced at the time. Nine o'clock, right on time. Regina placed her fork on her plate and walked over and opened the door for her two favorite men.

She smiled at her godson Henry and ex-stepbrother Neal. "Hey, you two."

It had been something of a shock, albeit a good one, when both she and Neal had found out about their parents' marriage. They'd been young teens at the time, both lonely for a sibling, and quite delighted that they got along so well. Initially it seemed like the marriage would work out, but things had gone downhill quickly, and within a year, Cora and Gold had divorced. With parents like theirs, Regina and Neal had a base of commiseration to work with, and quickly built a great friendship in that time. He still referred to her as his sister, and she referred to him as her brother, and despite the divorce they still considered each other family. They'd been there for each other through the ups and downs, and still found each other one of their best supports.

"Hey, do I smell breakfast?" Henry asked, sniffing the air.

Regina laughed. "You do. Are you guys hungry?"

Henry shrugged. "Well, we stopped for a bagel but I could eat again."

"Sure you could," Regina said stepping up to him, and ruffling his hair before pulling him into a hug.

"Mind if a couple of stragglers joined you?" Neal asked.

"Not at all."

The boys walked through the door and towards the table. Henry glanced at Regina's plate, making a face. "What are you eating?"

Regina smiled. "Pumpkin pancakes… with maple syrup."

"Hmmm, dessert. Good idea," Neal said, and Regina rolled her eyes.

"I think I'll pass," Henry replied, scrunching his nose. "That bagel really filled me up."

Regina frowned. "You sure?"

Henry smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. But I am going to go hook up my Xbox, is that alright?"

"Yes, of course." She told him, and he practically ran out of the kitchen, leaving her and Neal alone. "How about you?" She asked, making her way to the counter. Neal declined the pancakes with a laugh and she shrugged at him. "You guys don't know what you're missing. Would you like a coffee?"

"Yes, thank you," Neal replied, leaning over the kitchen isle.

Regina took a mug from the shelf, and she turned to Neal with a questioning glance, "Black?"

Neal nodded.

Regina carried it to the table. Smiling warmly, she handed Neal his coffee, and then took a seat opposite. She ate in silence for a minute or two before putting down her fork and picking up her coffee. After taking a sip, she looked up and met Neal's gaze.

"How are you feeling?" It was a gentle and kindly enquiry. He and Henry's mother had gone through a bitter breakup almost two years ago, and this weekend she was getting remarried. Regina knew he had been against the split, but he'd eventually managed to move on. Regina knew about their complicated history, and was somewhat torn herself. She'd liked Emma when they first met, and when Neal left her behind on a "finding myself" journey, Regina had been there for her through the unexpected pregnancy and Henry's delivery, which was why Emma, not Neal, named her Henry's godmother. It was the first time she'd actually not been in Neal's corner, being highly disappointed in her brother when he was told about Henry and still declined to come home.

"_I'm not ready to be a father, Gina,"_ he'd said when she talked to him. _"I barely know myself and what I need to do in this life. They're better off without me."_

"_Are you mental?!"_ had been Regina's heated response, and it had gone downhill from there. Emma was a dear friend, and Regina cherished her godson, so Neal's actions grated on them all. It was only when he'd returned on Henry's birthday, 4 years later, that Regina forgave him and he was able to patch up his relationship with her and with Emma and Henry. Eventually Emma and Neal started up their relationship again, but it was even rockier than before, and though Neal had tried, it just wasn't meant to be.

He'd gotten over it, and it wasn't until Emma had announced she was eloping did it bring up old wounds. It didn't help that she was marrying Killian Jones, a man that she'd been semi-dating before getting back together with Neal, a man that Henry adored and who had waited patiently for Emma until she came back to him. Regina liked Killian, and knew that Neal grudgingly respected the man. It was only that Emma was marrying someone who was already a father figure to Henry that made Neal upset, though Emma had made sure that his relationship with Henry was solid through everything.

"I'm fine."

Regina grunted good-naturedly. "That sounds familiar."

Shrugging, Neal gave Regina a wry look. "I learned from the best. But really, I'm all right. Better than I've been in a long time, in fact."

Resting her mug on the table, and after a long moment, she seemed to come to a conclusion. "I'm glad, because I really like this new girl you've got."

"Thank you. I like her too."

Regina smiled again and picked up her coffee. They were quiet for a time and then Regina shifted in her chair.

"How's work?" he asked, before taking a gulp of his coffee.

Regina shrugged. "The same." Picking up her spoon, she dabbed it in the puddle of maple syrup and then popped it in her mouth, savoring the last mouthful. She placed her spoon on the plate, pushed it away, and then looked up again.

Neal's eyebrows rose. "You gonna want an insulin shot with that?"

Regina gave him a withering look from a across the table. "Hilarious."

Neal gave her an unrepentant smirk. "Well, I better go. I have to pick up Mulan before I head out. Thanks for keeping Henry this weekend."

"Happy to do it. He's the only one who doesn't give me a hard time about TV binge watching and Oreo snacks."

Neal matched Regina's smile. "That's because you let him do it too."

Regina nodded, her eyes filled with a look of warm affection and exasperation. "I let him _after _his homework is done."

* * *

><p>Later that night Regina and Henry were sitting in her living room eating said Oreos, and caramel popcorn, while Henry worked on his homework. The Weather Channel was featuring a repeat of a program they'd already seen, so Regina started flipping through the channels attempting to find them something they would both enjoy, but she came to a stop when she spied a glimpse of someone familiar. Robin Locksley's handsome face filled the screen.<p>

Regina groaned inwardly, trying not to draw attention to herself.

She wanted to turn the channel off, but his voice pulled her in, and so she continued to watch as he charmed the interviewer with his accent and dimples. She broke apart another cookie and licked the inside filling.

"_... winning Victor's case was enough."_ Regina didn't hold it in and she scoffed, making a face at the screen. Envy burned hard.

Henry looked up from his homework and asked, "You know that guy?"

"Yes, unfortunately." She nodded at the screen before licking off the remaining stuffing from inside her Oreo. "He's the guy who beat me."

Henry's attention was now on the screen as well.

"_Yes, and your courtroom tussles with Counselor Regina Mills have become the talk of the town in legal circles," the interviewer smiled at him._

"_Well what can I say, Regina Mills is… well, she's the finest attorney I've ever met."_

"_Oh?"_

"_I can only aspire to be as clever as her. She's quite special. Truly."_

Henry looked back at Regina with a smile. "It sounds to me like he likes you."

Regina laughed at that, but that tiny part of her was secretly thrilled that Henry saw it. Taking another Oreo from the container and pulling it apart, she looked up at the screen again and asked, "You think?"

"Mmhmm," Henry hummed in agreement while shaking his head in amusement.

"_...and you've just published this new book on divorce, 'A Course for True Love: A Guide for a Happy Divorce'..."_

"Book? What book?" _Seriously?_ she thought in exasperation, _what doesn't this man do?!_ "When does he write books?" She finally switched the channel and sat there fuming, pointedly ignoring Henry's quiet chuckle.


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Again, to my wonderful beta, you are the best!_

* * *

><p>Filling a bowl with caramel corn after donning her favorite pair of cotton pajamas for the night, Regina grabbed a bottle of water from her fridge, closing it with her foot and strolling into her living room.<p>

Taking the remote, she turned on her TV, anxious to finally relax after a very long work week. She placed her snack on the coffee table, and just as she was lifting a handful to her mouth, her cell phone started to ring. As she reached for it she noticed the name. _His_ name. She let her shoulders sag and heaved a weary sigh. She'd been doing such a good job of avoiding him. Tossing the remote onto the overstuffed sofa, she took another deep breath and exhaled through tight lips as she answered the phone. "What?"

His voice was light, and she could sense the smile in his voice when he replied,_ "Oh, I was just downtown and it's really overcast. I was just wondering if you might be able to tell me, with your insight into The Weather Channel, when it was expected to start raining?"_

She shrugged her shoulders as she sank into her couch. Watching the forecaster on the television announce, "_nothing but clear skies for the city,_" she declined to share the information with him. "I have no idea." She didn't want to play this game, couldn't afford to play it, as much as deep down she wanted to.

He cleared his throat. _"Look, if you want me to leave you alone I will, but I have to say I think it's a great shame,"_ he said, sounding discouraged.

Regina didn't answer him, only sighed, and popped a piece of caramel corn into her mouth. Robin was quiet for a moment, and then spoke up.

"_Alright, I know when I'm beat. I'll stop bothering you."_

"Good." She snagged her bottom lip between her teeth. She'd heard the patently false note of acceptance in his voice, and waited for what he was going to say.

There was a moment's pause, and then he asked, more cheerily, _"So why did you answer the phone?"_

She shook her head in amusement. He never had any intention of leaving her alone, so she replied with an annoyed huff, "To tell you to leave me alone."

He wasn't buying that, apparently, because he shot back confidently_, "You don't mean that."_

Regina let out an exasperated growl. "Trust me."

In a lighter tone, he suggested,_ "Have dinner with me."_

Petulantly, she retorted, "I'm not hungry."

He tried unsuccessfully to keep the amusement from his voice._ "I didn't mean tonight."_

Regina made a face, sure that her cheeks were turning a deep shade of pink, and said with an indignant, "Well, neither did I."

"Regina…" Cora called out, as she strolled through the front door.

She leapt back a little. "I have to go," she told him abruptly, knowing from hearing his intake of breath that he was about to say something. She was almost pathetically glad for her mother's interruption; she had the feeling that she might have actually given in to Robin, and she just knew that it would be a disaster in the making. She ended the call, and glancing up, she gave her mother a quick smile, which turned into a frown at her mother's wardrobe. Since when did she dress like she was on her way to an Aerosmith concert?

Cora's mouth twisted into a grin. "So this is how you're spending Saturday night? Eating junk food and watching the Weather Channel?" She sat on the coffee table in front of Regina. "I have tickets to Will Scarlet and the Archers, let's go."

Ah, that explained it.

"To a rock concert? Sex, drugs, and rock and roll are _your_ things, Mom, not mine." Frowning slightly, Regina again glanced towards her mother who was looking at her with a put out expression. She huffed again, annoyed with herself and her constant state of ill temper. If she was honest with herself she kind of owed her mother. The handful of 'rain checks' that she'd accumulated from their missed dinners and lunches over the last few months during her trials had really started to pile up. Her mother gave her one more raised eyebrow, and rolling her eyes, Regina got to her feet.

"Fine."

* * *

><p>Regina couldn't hear. She was sure her ears were going to be ringing the following day, perhaps even into next week. She was crowded in an amphitheater with a bunch of women in their teens and early twenties, and then of course her mother, who was dressed the part of a young rocker, hands in the air, singing along like she was just another one of them. And the thing of it, to her great annoyance, was that <em>she<em> was the ones getting the looks of "what are _YOU_ doing here?", and not her mother.

Regina couldn't be more bored or feel older than she did right then. If she would have told her mother no, she would be at home, in bed, blissfully unaware, asleep hours ago. She tightened her mouth. Two and a half hours was quite enough. She tapped her mother on the shoulder to get her attention, and waved, mouthing a silent_ "goodbye,"_ knowing that you couldn't hear three inches away from yourself without yelling anyways. Her mother frowned for a moment and then nodded, throwing her another one of those _"you're getting old, Regina"_ looks, before giving her a small wave in return, and returning her attention immediately back to the man on stage.

Regina took one last look up at the singer and rolled her eyes. She didn't get the appeal at all. Dressed in tight leather pants and boots, with only leather wristbands to adorn his sweaty upper torso and spiky dark blond hair glistening in the lights, she supposed he was attractive enough, but nothing like the appeal Robin had…_Stop it!_ she scolded herself. If she wanted to get over her reactions to the man, she couldn't start comparing other people to him. Regina determinedly made her way through the crowd and through the doors out into the blissful silence, in comparison, permeating the New York streets, which was an instant relief. She shook her head and rubbed her ears, grousing, "My God, I'm deaf."

As she walked up the block, opening and closing her jaw, hoping her ears would pop, the sound of crying from a woman near a poster of tonight's concert caught her attention. Stopping in her tracks, she turned to the young woman. "Hey, are you okay?"

The young girl shook her head, a flask in her hand and tears streaming down her face.

Regina took a step toward her. She couldn't just leave her there crying, could she? "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"He's an arse," the girl cried, smacking the poster of Will Scarlet with a loud _thwack _of her fist. "I hate him. He shags _everything_. If I don't divorce him, I'm going to _kill _him!"

Ah. So the tears were about a man.

Well at least she had some experience here.

"Listen, can I give you some advice? You're very young. Relationships take work and lots of couples go through rough patches, and there's always a way to get through them. Divorce should be your last resort." Regina smirked a bit at that. She made her living off of last resorts. "This is something I know a little bit about."

The young woman sniffled, and tilted her head at Regina. With a sigh she told her, "You're wearing my blouse wrong. It should be worn off the shoulder. You have nice shoulders."

Oh. _Oh_.

Regina let out a breath as her conversation with her mother a couple months back came to the forefront and she asked, "Are you…Anastasia?" The young blonde nodded, and Regina's eyes lit up. "So your husband is…"

"The bloody prick up on stage, yeah," Anastasia confirmed with disgust.

Regina pulled out a card from her purse, and with a bright calculating smile said, "Let me give you my card."

* * *

><p>Regina sat in her office the following Monday, looking directly across at Anastasia Scarlet, who was capturing the attention of her assistant Ashley. Regina suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at Ashley, who was surreptitiously taking notes and attempting to school her features into something professional looking and not that of a complete fashion fangirl.<p>

Regina decided to ignore her assistant and said, "Mrs. Scarlet, I want to assure you that if you were to choose Dalen, Fisher, Booth, and Tillman… I take care of my clients. We are considered the Tiffany's of law firms."

In a deadly calm voice, Anastasia retorted, with a curled lip, "Yeah, well I wish it were Home Depot, so you could rip his heart out with a chainsaw."

Ashley giggled and Regina threw her a reproachful glare.

With an internal sigh, she focused her attention back on the woman in front of her. "Well, I am more than happy to use that approach too."

* * *

><p>The cork was popped, glasses were filled, and hands around the table at Eleven Madison later that afternoon rose in honor of her. Leroy Dalen, an senior partner to the firm, said, "Cheers, to Regina and her new client Anastasia. And all the money she's going to bring into the company."<p>

Regina shook her head. "No, it's not definite yet."

But all those around the table scoffed unbelievingly, shook their head, and started to celebrate. A high profile divorce like this one would come with a substantial amount of money, yes, but also a substantial amount of press.

Basking in the attention, Regina was a bit startled when a waiter interrupted them. Setting a drink beside her he said, "The gentleman asked me to send you this."

"Thank you." She looked down, and placed her flute of champagne next to the shot glass in front of her. Regina's lips pulled into a smirk.

Huevo de chivo.

There was even an umbrella.

She raised her head and looked around the room. It didn't take long to find him from across the room. His own glass rose up to her, and she nodded, trying not to smile too much at him. His lips quirked up at her look.

"What in God's name is that?" asked one of the junior partners, Marty, who was seated beside her.

She looked over at him with a smug smile, looking very pleased with herself. "You've never had a goat's nut before?"

The man picked up the shot and looked it over with interest. "I can't say that I have."

Her eyes sought him out again, and when they found him, her jaw dropped, and white hot anger burned bright in her chest. He was on his feet, and kissing the cheek of a young woman. And not just any young woman.

Anastasia.

Her client.

_Hers_.

That bastard.

"Would you excuse me for a moment?" She didn't wait for a reply, and was on her feet, marching over to his table and standing in front of him in ten long strides.

Robin noticed her at once, and stood once again, smiling at her. "Ahh, Miss Mills…"

She wanted nothing more than to slap the smile from his face.

Suddenly becoming aware of her inner turmoil, but unsure as to the cause, the smile faltered as he asked, "Would you care to join us? I see you were celebrating over there…"

Regina wasn't buying his act, no matter how innocent he looked. She smiled without humor and interrupted with, "I just wanted to say hello to Anastasia." The young woman had the good grace to look a bit chastened. Regina remained straight-faced; only her eyes glinted with anger, though her lips were flattened into a thin line.

"Oh, so you're a fan? Well, who isn't?" He suddenly sounded more confident, as though he thought he'd figured out that she was flustered on meeting the designer. She looked up at him in angry disappointment, even more certain that she'd been right in predicting this would never work, but he wasn't looking at her. She then felt Robin's hand on the small of her back. If the warmth she felt didn't make her want to kiss him, she would have slapped him away. "Regina Mills, this is Anastasia Scarlet. She's my new client, and sadly is about to go through a nasty divorce."

"Yes, I know," Regina said stepping to the side and away from him and his hands. He looked taken aback by her abrupt movement, and his confidence started to slip into uncertainty once more. She was angry enough to feel a measure of satisfaction about it.

"Oh, you do?" Robin's brows knitted together. "I guess these things hit the papers quickly."

Regina was fast losing her patience with this man and clenched her jaw tightly. "No, I know because up until about thirty seconds ago I thought she was going to choose _me _to represent her."

Surprised, and then with a rising sense of apprehension, he looked between his client and her, and then asked, "What?"

The tension rose as she paused to look into his eyes. They looked utterly innocent of what had happened, though she could see his escalating worry, which made her even angrier. "That's a good look, counselor. Did you practice that in a mirror?"

He didn't hesitate, and his frowned as he denied, "I didn't -"

Regina's eyes narrowed in his direction and he reached out for her, his eyes brimming with confusion and apology. He opened his mouth, but before he could finish what he was about to say, Anastasia's voice rang out. "Look, I decided to use someone else." Shrugging with a scowl, she said, "The thing is, at your meeting you were all, '_let's take the high road_' and '_keep it clean_, _no need to get ugly_,' stuff. Then I read his book." She nodded towards Robin. "Rob is what I want. He'll cut Will's balls off and give them back as earrings."

Regina fought to keep from rolling her eyes, but couldn't help a letting out a harsh breath.

Robin interjected, with a clearing of his throat, "In all fairness, Anastasia, it should be noted that Miss Mills is perfectly capable of cutting men's balls off."

Regina raised her eyebrows. Was _that _supposed to be him _defending_ her?

Anastasia snorted, and grabbed her drink from the table. "Well, good on you."

Robin closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Sorry, that came out all wrong."

"Just so you know," Anastasia began, looking over Regina with a critical eye. "The jacket wasn't designed to go with a belt."

Regina bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn't even look at him. Nodding once at Anastasia, she turned and went back to her table.

She sat for the rest of her lunch with her partners, with her chin in her hand, swirling the straw in her glass of water, fake smiling and pretended to listen as they tried to cheer her up.

However, there were not enough rainbows and unicorn stickers in the world to fix her problems, and as she glanced at her nemesis from across the room, she sat up a bit as she watched him excuse himself from the table and head for the men's room.

Making a quick decision she announced, "I'll be right back."

Pushing open the door to the men's bathroom, with enough force to send it smacking the wall behind it, she stopped just inside of the room and said, "You stole Anastasia to spite me."

Robin looked up at her, not a bit surprised to see her standing there, and replied, "Come on in. Cubicle two is free, I believe." He sighed, and shook his head. "And I didn't steal anything. She read my book and came to me, I promise you."

"I'm sorry, Rob-" she replied, and immediately stopped as the use of his name made his eyes flicker to hers, hope blooming. With a shaky breath, she stressed, "_Counselor_, but… I don't think I can believe anything you say."

He took a deep breath of his own, zipping up, and made his way over to the sinks to wash his hands. He looked up at her reflection in the mirror and said, "Well, that, I'm afraid, is going to have to remain _your _problem, but I don't lie. I don't approve of it. When have I ever _lied _to you?"

Regina opened her mouth to dispute his claim but then she shut it again slowly, nodding resignedly. Okay, so he had her there, but her indignant nature rose up, and she squared her shoulders. "Well, let me tell you this, if you've taken this case to mess with me, things are going to get ugly."

He looked at her earnestly, drying his hands, and then held them out wide. "Uglier than this? And let me tell you something, if I may. If you were able to turn down your paranoia to just a simmer, for just a brief moment, you might discover that you and I could exist quite successfully." He tossed the paper towels in the bin, and walking up to her, he looked down into her eyes and swallowed. "And I don't just mean professionally."

He reached up to touch her cheek, not bothering to hide his disappointment when she jerked back from him, before walking back out the door.

Regina frowned, her chest burned, and she closed her eyes and tried to steady the well of emotion that sprang up every time she thought of their night together those few months ago.

* * *

><p>Standing in a very large room filled with young women yelling, giggling, and tossing themselves into a crowd gathered around a very famous rock star, Regina Mills waited patiently, standing back in her Armani power suit, which was paired with a sparkly black top that displayed an almost indecent amount of cleavage, but then, she was playing a game.<p>

And she intended to win.

Regina rolled her eyes and made her way to him, as Will Scarlet spoke to each young woman in turn, giving them winks, and signing their shirts, asking, "And what's your name, love?"

The crowd parted for Regina. His eyes found hers, and one eyebrow rose in appreciation. With a sly grin he began marching towards her, giving her a long, lazy once over. He smiled widely and looked to his drummer. "See this, John, I've got _classy_ fans too." He stalked up to her slowly, not hiding the fact that his eyes were on her body. "And uh, what might you want, gorgeous?"

Regina smiled widely, her lips coated with her own bright shade of scarlet. Seductively she answered back with, "I want _you_."

Will let out an _"Oooohh,_" and taking off his sunglasses he stepped into her space. "Nice opening line, baby. Direct, no BS, just how I like it." His eyes dropped to her cleavage, and he had the audacity to lick his lips. "Mmmm-hhmmm, okay tell me what we're working with, doll face?"

Regina straightened, her eyes narrowing. "Okay, this is what we're working with, _doll face_. You've got a devoted, hard-working, beautiful wife at home, who supports you and gives you space to do your own thing, and yet you cheat, lie, and blow all your money on strippers and whores. You finally abandon her, throwing her aside like yesterday's paper and breaking her heart, leaving her no option but divorce. That's the opposing counsel's opening line. Direct, no BS, just the way you like it." She threw his words back at him as she finished her speech. She watched him take a breath, the smirk faltering. "And your _wife _has just hired the second best divorce lawyer in New York to deliver it."

That wiped the grin completely off his face, and Regina handed him her card. "Now," she began, "you need someone to give them _your_ side of the story, no matter how _sordid_, and make you seem like sunshine and strawberry shortcake." She smiled sweetly at him.

He swallowed hard, and his voice wavered slightly as he spoke. "I like strawberry shortcake." He paused, trying to recover, and smiled at her more confidently. "And I like your style." Lowering his voice, he told her, "Do you know what I think? I think we should continue this conversation back at my place." He winked at her, a patently false move that Regina was sure worked on his many brainless fans, but did nothing more for her than giving her the desire to pour a bucket of water over his head to cool him down.

Regina chuckled, and returned, "Do you know what I think, dear?"

His eyebrows raised and his smile widened as he asked, "What?"

She leaned into his space. "I think you need to leave the _thinking _to me."

She turned and walked away, leaving him standing there in a stupor. "Right," he mumbled, looking down at the card. "I-I'll ring you straightaway," he called to her back, and Regina let the side of her mouth lift. _Bingo!_ She thought in satisfaction.

* * *

><p>Settlement meeting. What a complete joke.<p>

Regina tossed her black glasses on the table, and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. They were getting nowhere. Between her own client's taunting, and Robin's client's outbursts of ridicule and threats, they'd hardly gotten to discuss anything, let alone assets. Not to mention the heated looks Robin had been sending her since she'd first adjusted the glasses on her face. You'd think she'd been wearing nothing at all, if his looks had been anything to go on.

Honestly, what was it with men and glasses? Some sort of deep-seated librarian fetish?

"Pain?" Will Scarlet shouted, jumping down from the conference table. Regina blinked, startled. When the hell did he climb up on there? He'd been sitting right next to her! Continuing, he spat, "I'll cause her so much pain she'll wish she never existed."

Entirely unimpressed with her client's outburst, Regina started, "I think Mr. Locksley could agree that the purpose of a settlement meeting is to avoid pain…"

Robin nodded. "I would also like to add that you advise your client that any threats of violence will be documented…"

"Threats, my arse," Anastasia scoffed, standing from her chair. Leaning against the back of Robin's, she yelled toward the direction of her soon-to-be ex-husband, "Can we just skip to the part where you cut his balls off?!"

Regina met Robin's exhausted eyes from across the table in a silent exchange. She raised her eyebrows, cocking her head slightly. He gave her a slight nod.

Robin sat up, placing his elbows on the table and looked over his paperwork. Taking advantage of the moment of silence, he directed, "Right then. If we could convince Miss Mills of going through assets, we can move this along."

Regina nodded, happy to finally make some progress, and pulled out a file. She opened her mouth to reply, but her client beat her to it.

"What assets?" he asked the room with a wave of his arms. "She doesn't have any. I'm the only one who spits out all the money for those dishrags she sews!"

Frowning, Robin heaved a sigh, and threw his pen on the table as he collapsed back into his chair.

"Dishrags?" Anastasia laughed in a hysterics. "Tell that to Angelina Jolie. She wore my 'dishrags' to the Oscars, you bloody twit!"

Regina scowled. "I'm sure that Mr. Locksley would agree that we will not get anywhere without a bit of consideration from all parties…"

Anastasia interrupted, with an indignant, "Consideration, from him? I'm his goddamn wife…" the young woman's angered voice rang out over the conference room, raising louder and louder with every passing syllable in a staccato voice, adding, "and he didn't even have the courtesy to tell me that he got a skull and crossbones pierced through the tip of his…"

Robin held up a hand, and said over her, "I've had enough."

"I'm good." Regina capped her pen and stood.

God, she needed a drink.

* * *

><p>"So this is what you want, this Caislee-..." How the hell do you pronounce it? "The castle in Ireland?"<p>

"That's right." Will nodded eagerly, adding with a chuckle, "Caislean an Carraig." Regina was in amazement that "caislean an carraig" sounded like "cash-lawn on car-rig." It means castle of rock. I mean, how much more appropriate can you get?"

She smiled back at him. "Okay, and it was your idea to buy this… Cash… the castle."

"Hell, yes." He pointed at her.

"Alright, I'll give Mr. Locksley a call and we may be able to get this done tonight," she told him, rising to her feet and walking her client to the door.

After he'd left, Regina went back to her desk and picked up her cell. Swiping it open, she picked his name from her contacts, and sent the call.

She waited only a moment when his accented voice answered with a cheerful, "_Ah, hello, counselor, to what do I owe the pleasure of your lovely voice so early in the day?"_

"Good news, actually," she said, trying not to smile like a schoolgirl at the sound of his voice. "My client has come to a decision I think we'll all be able to live with."

His voice sounded surprised, but replied, _"That's wonderful, as I think I have good news too."_

"How about we meet tonight?" she suggested, drawing small hearts on her notepad, and then scratching them out with a frown. What the hell, Regina?

_"Just tell me when and where,"_ his voice dropped low and husky.

She took a deep breath, and told him, "The Four Seasons. I'll meet you at the bar."

There was a brief pause and then he answered, _"It's a date."_

Regina chuckled. "Hardly, counselor." She could hardly contain the flutter in her abdomen when he referred to it as a _date_. She also noted that he didn't agree with her denial.

_"I'll see you tonight,"_ he promised her.

* * *

><p>"Well, it looks like this thing might end amicably after all."<p>

His eyes lightened a little and a shadow of a smile teased at the corner of his mouth. "Indeed. We're in serious jeopardy of peace breaking out. This would make me very happy, indeed."

Regina could feel the blush creeping up her throat to her cheeks. "Oh?"

He nodded. "Yes. It could very well prove that we could both win inside and outside the courtroom." He placed his drink down and studied her intently. God, she was stunning, and again he felt that pull towards her that he'd had from the moment they met. He willed her to believe him.

She pondered his words. He had a point. She looked up at him, still a little unsure, and almost immediately became mesmerized by the look in those blue eyes. She hadn't been this close to him in a long time. She didn't know what to say. She whispered another, "Oh."

His eyes flashed with something but his face remained impassive, save for just a hint of a smile before he straightened it out again. "Anyway, I've spoken with my client…"

"So have I…" She took a deep breath and sat up straight.

"_She only wants the…" _and _"He only wants the…"_ came out together simultaneously in a rush. Both stopped and gauged one another. They knew.

She watched as his eyes narrowed slightly and she tried very hard to mask her reaction. So much for peace. His eyes were drilling into hers and she gave him a rueful smile.

Robin closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and sighed. _Bugger it all_. He'd been so _close_ to getting in her good graces again. Turning towards her, his look was heavy with regret as he said, "I guess we'll be in touch."

* * *

><p>Regina stood before Judge Nolan the next morning and listened as she was instructed, "Go to Ireland, speak to the staff at the castle and we'll sort it all out when you return."<p>

Letting out the breath, she nodded. "Yes, Your Honor."

She knew Robin was getting the same instructions, and her stomach clenched. She had no idea what was going to happen when they got to Ireland, but she also had no doubt that it would somehow end up biting her in the ass.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Thank you again for all the follows and faves. I can't tell you how much it means. This one's a long one. Dont forget to let me know what you thought. :) Enjoy. _

* * *

><p>She got off a loud crowded bus, and staggered drowsy and hot into the small town of Claregalway. Annoyed from what was supposed to be a short two and a half hour trip from the Dublin Airport, which ended up taking four hours because of a interminable sheep crossing, Regina looked around the empty city street searching for O'Hopper Get-Away Rental. She finally found the sign, and headed over. She knocked on the door, and when it opened, a thin man with a balding head stood staring at her. She raised an eyebrow and looked up at the sign over her head pointedly, and after fumbling on a pair of glasses, he nodded.<p>

"Mr. O'Hopper?"

"That's right." His brows rose, but said nothing more.

Regina released an internal sigh. "I'm Regina Mills, I spoke with you on the phone yesterday."

"Ahhhh, I see… You're after hirin' a car, eh?"

She nodded slowly. "That's why I'm here, Mr. O'Hopper."

"Ah, well you've come ta the right place then." He straightened up, proudly. He puffed out his chest, reminding Regina of a rooster, and hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his pants.

Regina smiled in relief. "Good."

He then placed his hands on his hips and frowned, explaining, "Only see, t'ing is, we're not open on a Tuesday."

Her brows furrowed. What? Her eyes looked to him for the logic behind his words but when nothing was forthcoming she frowned and asked, "Sorry?"

"Yeah see, I'm not 'ere on a Tuesday."

Her frown deepened, and Regina raised a sharp brow as she looked from the rental car shop and then back to its owner who was clearly standing in front of it. He smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"I know, I know what you're thinkin.' If I'm not 'ere on a Tuesday, and we're not open on a Tuesday, and today is Tuesday, and I'm standin' 'ere… How can it be? Well, it all depends on how ya look at it."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. She'd didn't have all day and she had heard more than enough. Grabbing her suitcase she set off at a brisk pace towards Cash... Casey... Ugh. The damn castle.

Two hours later, Regina was sitting on a fallen tree stump on the side of the road, angrily stuffing a road map into her bag, then pulling out her cell phone. Fuck international roaming. She'd pay the overages. Whatever it took to pull up Google maps, point her in the direction of the damnable castle, and where she could have a glorious shower.

If she could find a signal.

Nothing. Shit!

She got to her feet and set off once again. Her voice full of anger and sarcasm began, "See if it's _Tuuuuesday… _and I'm not there on a _Tuuuuesday_, come back again when it's _Tuuuuesday… _blah, blah, blah. Of all the damn annoying..."

She stopped, her hand coming up to shield her eyes from the sun, turned, and looked around her. She was hot and sweaty and irritated, and her high-heeled boots were most definitely NOT made for walking. How much further could this damn castle be?

It was just then that a car turned from a nearby side street and Regina jumped up, waving and yelling, "Stop! Wait!"

She didn't care who was driving, short of an Irish mass murderer, as long as they were going in her direction. The car stopped to wait for her, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Walking up to the side, she leaned down looking into the open passenger window and said, "Thank you, can you please…" Her eyes widened in disbelief. Robin. He looked equally surprised to see her. She let out her breath in a huff, and in a scathing tone she bit out, "Where did you get this goddamn thing?"

Robin grinned, that damnable wide, aren't-my-teeth-white-and-my-eyes-sparkling, infuriating, smile, and threw her a cheery Irish accented, "Top of the mornin' to ya. Castle Carraig is it? Hop in."

She glared at him. Was that supposed to be funny? "In there. With you?"

"Oh, okay, well, it's not really that far." Robin scratched his chin, looking down the road, and smiled again as he pointed, adding, "I mean you just carry on right down this road for about twenty-eight miles, you'll see a sign post for the Devil's Staircase, and apparently the castle is just on the other side." He smirked.

Her eyes narrowed, and she straightened, inhaling a deep breath through her nose. It was just a ride for God's sake; she could ride in the car with the man for a couple of hours, right? Tossing her bag into the back, she then opened the passenger door, and got in, closing the door with a forceful slam. She scowled, crossing her arms petulantly across her chest, and asked, "So, where did you get this?"

Indifferent to her mood, Robin shifted the car into gear and started them on their journey. "Mr. O'Hopper back in the village."

Regina gave a derisive snort. "But he's not open on a Tuesday."

"No, but I borrowed this from Mr. O'Hopper the butcher," Robin began, reaching for a can of Coke and handing it to her, while continuing, "Mr. O' Hopper's uncle down the street. You see, every Tuesday…."

"Just never mind." Regina cut him off, opening the drink and taking a long sip. Once she was done, she added, "I don't want to know."

Robin sighed. As much as he was secretly thrilled that after so long she was finally spending more than a moment with him, he could tell that this was going to be a long trip. He clenched his jaw, pointedly ignoring the pouting of the woman next to him and concentrating instead on the subtle scent of her perfume. He glanced at her quickly, taking in the slope of her nose, the soft fans of eyelashes, and the gleaming dark hair framing her beautiful face. He tore his eyes away and focused back on the road. God, he'd missed her.

A little while later they stopped at a viewpoint, and Regina couldn't find it in herself to argue about the break in their trip. The view was spectacular. Lush green hills and valleys stretched as far as the eye could see.

Regina tucked her hair behind her ears in a vain effort to keep it from being blown around by the wind. "It's really beautiful."

"If you can touch the horizon you're near your journey's end," Robin said, never looking away from the landscape.

Maybe it was the scenery, or the way the sunset shone on him, casting a light over his features and making them stand out just a bit more, but Regina couldn't pull her eyes away. His well-defined jaw and crystal blue eyes drew her attention even more than the incredible vantage point. He looked down at her and caught her staring, grinning as she felt her cheeks heat. Before he could question her, she blurted out, "James Joyce?"

It took Robin a moment to realize she was speaking about his earlier pronouncement, and he chuckled, shaking his head. "No, my uncle Clive, but equally profound, wouldn't you say?"

She gave him a small smile, and his eyes focused more sharply on her. She breathed in sharply as his hand lifted towards her face. Just as she tensed, his fingers about to brush her skin, she heard a creaking and then the sound of tires moving on the pavement. A loud bang and more shifting and screeching followed as the car they had been driving rolled away and fell unceremoniously down the cliff they were standing by. Neither Robin nor Regina turned to it.

Regina sighed, and the tip of her tongue touched the corner of her lip. "Well, that spoiled it for me."

Robin closed his eyes. "What am I going to tell Mr. O'Hopper?"

* * *

><p>"Isn't fog the most incredible most natural phenomenon? You see, in rocky areas like this, the temperature of the rocks in the daytime is much cooler than the earth so when nightfall hits…" He smiled at her sheepishly. "Sorry, I watch the Weather Channel."<p>

Regina threw him a look of start disbelief. Seriously? _He_ watched the Weather Channel? She shook her head and wrapped her arms around herself to keep herself as warm as she could. He made a move as if to put an arm around her, but recoiled at the murderous look in her eyes. He held up his hands in mock surrender, and she rolled her eyes. Frowning, she took out her phone in another failed attempt to check for a signal. Nothing. Mumbling something about shitty cell phone service, Regina put the phone back in her pocket and stated, "It's now after midnight…"

"I know we're a bit lost, I admit that, but we're very close," Robin said, giving in to his need to reassure her. "I think if we..."

Regina could have snorted. It would have been hard not to. With the sun gone from the sky long ago, and the fog coming in thicker than ever, it was difficult to see more than a few yards ahead of them. Fog and trees. Stopping in her tracks, Regina looked around them. That was all she could see. Fog and trees and... "Wait a sec." Regina paused and squinted into the night.

"Regina?"

"Look, over here, there's some old trailer." She pointed just a bit north of where they were standing.

Spotting it then, he nodded, and taking her hand in his, he set off towards it.

Regina gasped slightly at his hand in hers. How could she not? Her hand tingled where his fingers folded around her. She could not deny that he had a magnetic quality that made it difficult for her to drag her gaze from him when he was near, and even harder for her in the moment—well, all right, any moment—to shrug off any hand he might happen to lay upon her.

This time she happened to be grateful for his hand. In his eagerness to investigate, he was propelling her forward with little effort on her part. She was so tired, and she discovered it was a lot easier to slog along in her high-heeled boots when Robin was pulling her.

It was a trailer alright. The dark steel frame sat alone in the middle of nowhere, with only an old rickety-looking set of steps leading to the door. It looked terrible and completely uninhabitable, as if it hadn't been used in years. Regina halted outright a couple of feet from the door, suddenly thinking that it might be a better alternative to sleep under one of those fog-shrouded trees. Wasn't this just the perfect place for some crazed killer to burst out of the door and get them both? Then again, some crazed killer might be lurking in those same fog-shrouded trees. She swallowed and went forward.

Robin reached the door first, and was pulling on it. After a bit of force, the door swung open with a snap from its rusty hinges and they stumbled inside.

"Oh my God, who lived here, animals?" Regina asked, holding a hand over her nose and swallowing hard.

Robin however, smiled. "I think we've landed on our feet. I'll see if I can find us some light," he said, looking genuinely celebratory as he took in their surroundings.

The trailer was small, but mercifully did manage to keep them the elements for the night, which had been lowering in temperature quite rapidly as the night drew on. There wasn't much in the way of furnishings, just a full pullout, and a small chair. But it was dry, it had a bathroom, it was clean enough, and for now, somewhere they could rest and set off for the castle once it was light.

"Here we go, a lantern. I wonder," Robin grinned and held something aloft in his hand, adding for her, "Matches. See, we'll be just fine."

Regina arched a brow at him. "We?"

"Hey, I got the light going didn't I?" He let out a breath of relief, tired beyond measure and also freezing. "There's even a bed we can share," he pointed out, gesturing to the pullout.

"Gosh," Regina sat down in the small chair, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I don't know what I'd do without you. I mean, I don't know how you do it. You write books, appear on TV, and deliver your stand-up routine in court." She stopped as Robin, smirking good-naturedly at her jabs, started undressing. Her jaw dropped a bit as Robin slid the jeans off, revealing his strong muscular legs. "Are you taking your clothes off?"

Robin struggled to hide his grin at the way Regina's voice rose an octave as he took off his jeans. In spite of the distance of the past few months, it was apparent that he could still affect her quite a bit. It made him hopeful. He carefully schooled his expression as he turned back to her, pants in hand.

"Just my jeans, unless of course you'd like to sleep with the slime covering them?" Tossing his jeans over the counter to dry, he grabbed the blankets covering the bed and shook them out. Bringing them up to his nose he smelled them. They smelled a bit musty and were lightly coated in dust, but nothing that would keep him from not using them.

Regina sat back in the chair watching him. Her face scrunched at the very idea of sleeping in that bed. Noting something else, she said, "And in your spare time you work for the Irish Tourism Board."

He frowned at her. "Your point?"

"I was doing fine on my own," she sighed, taking off her boots with relief. His gaze lingered on the delicate curves of her calves, and he tore his eyes away before she could notice.

"Oh please, you were lost till I came along." He couldn't help the smile on his face at his choice of words, and she looked up, meeting his gaze. He bit his bottom lip as she glowered at him. He chuckled. He had her alright. Nevertheless he held up his hands and pronounced, "Oh, only slightly metaphorical. Anyway, come on," He patted the spot next to him on the full sized mattress. "Come get some sleep. You look tired."

He held the blankets up for her, and he watched her hesitate, her eyes drifting to the chair she was sitting in, before she sighed and resignedly crawled into the narrow bed beside him. "What, so you can get to Castle Craig before me?"

"It's Carraig," he said, pronouncing it slowly. "Cash-lawn Car-rig."

"That's not even a word," Regina grumbled, turning on her side facing away from him.

"It is. It's an Irish word. Caislean Carraig is Caelic, the language of Ireland," he argued, and added, "We're in Ireland, learn to adapt."

"I can adapt. I'm much more adaptable than you!" Looking over her shoulder at him, she added, "And here's a word of advice. _Never_ tell a woman she looks tired."

"Ah, well, you've just summed yourself up in one sentence: all-consuming competitive spirit meets rampant insecurity." Robin leaned up on his elbow, and rested his head on his hand, looking down on the woman beside him and regarded her solemnly. "Now why would someone as accomplished, beautiful, and as clever as you be so insecure, hm?" Her big eyes looked up at him, dark and inscrutable in the faint light of the lantern, the uncertainty he found there telling him everything he needed to know.

Regina pursed her lips, contemplating answering him with honesty or good old-fashioned sarcasm. Should she tell him of growing up knowing she could never quite measure up to her mother, of the bittersweet memory of Daniel's shining, all too brief love? Or should she brush it off with a flippant comment? She decided on both, and said, "Tell you what. You spend your teenage years as the pimply daughter of the most beautiful woman in the world, and get back to me."

Their eyes met, and he looked deeply into her chocolate brown ones, wishing he could tell her how she needn't be insecure. How he thought she the finest mind he'd ever met, how he enjoyed the spirited and clever banter she dished out, and how she was, by far, the most beautiful woman he'd ever known.

She licked her lips, and his eyes followed the movement. There was a tense moment between them as he leaned in closer, and her eyes started to flutter shut as her mouth opened slightly. And then she let out a breath, and turning her back to him once again, she clutched the covers to her. As an afterthought, told him with authority, "You better not leave me."

"Never."

Robin stayed awake for a while longer as he watched her fall asleep. She'd been exhausted; he'd known that the flight, combined with the long day, would make anyone tired, and she'd walked quite a distance more than he had. In sleep, her features relaxed and became a bit younger, a bit more innocent. Hi eyes roamed her face, and he smiled and tucked the blanket more securely around her shoulders as he breathed in her perfume. He settled against her, fitting himself to her soft curves. She sighed and cuddled more into him, and he smiled into her silky hair. God in heaven, he meant it. He would never leave her.

* * *

><p>Regina opened one eye and immediately closed it again, having felt a groggy pull that indicated more sleep was necessary. Except that she couldn't sleep any more. She couldn't sleep anymore because something was wrong. Just what that something was, she couldn't exactly put her finger on-except that the soft snoring and warm breath on her neck were most definitely not normal. However, given how warm and sleepy she was, she almost wanted to ignore that, and though not normal, it felt very good.<p>

Her eyes popped open. Something wasn't right. Something was, in fact, very, very wrong. She did not think at all that she was back in her own bed. For one thing, her room back home was painted in soothing creams. When she'd cracked her eye open she'd had a disconcerting glimpse of hideous orange and brown cabinets. Where the hell was she? And for another thing, she most definitely did not normally sleep with an arm beneath her head.

And then she realized that there wasn't just an arm beneath her head. There was an arm draped across her, as well. Not just across her, either. No, this arm was curled around her hugging her close, and that hand at the end of the arm around her was cupping one of her breasts.

She rolled her eyes. Men.

"Robin."

His slight snore continued on, still deeply asleep. In fact, he actually tightened his grip on her, and Regina sighed softly closing her eyes once again. Suddenly felt like laying here with him like this for a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. It's not like he would ever know how much she secretly enjoying waking up beside him. For just a moment, she let herself appreciate his solid warmth against her.

However, the longer she stayed, the harder she knew it would be to keep him at a distance. She had worked damn hard to avoid him, and to not let him chip away at the walls around her heart. Walls clearly labeled 'keep out' which he paid no mind to. He was persistent, she would give him that.

Sighing, she tried again, only this time she reached back with her hand, and threading her hand into his hair gave a slight but sharp tug. "Robin."

Robin, who'd been curled against her on the small bed, leaned up and looked around, blearily. "What?" he demanded gruffly. "What is it?"

Regina sat up, clearing her throat and brushing her hair behind her ears. Leaning slightly away from Robin, she said, "I think we should get going."

Still not fully awake, Robin ran a hand through his disheveled blonde hair. "What time is it?" he wanted to know.

"I have no idea," Regina said with a half shrug. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she stretched and rubbed her neck.

Robin regarded her groggily. But unfortunately, not groggily enough. He was awake enough to observe her actions with undisguised concern. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Regina said, as grandly as she could muster considering their circumstances. "I'm just stiff from yesterday."

"Aye, I expect you would be," Robin said. "We did walk quite a bit." He put a hand on her back, rubbing it as well as he could with one hand and lying down. Regina bit back a moan at how it felt both for him to just touch her and how the massage was soothing the sore muscles. "I'm sure the castle will have a nice hot shower and fluffy bed awaiting, Your Majesty."

"Was that supposed to be funny?"

Robin grunted and sat up. "It was a joke." He gently cupped her cheek and started to turn her to face him. Regina felt instantly defensive of the perception of her that she was getting from him.

"For your information," Regina began indignantly, jerking her head around to get a better look at him. She instantly regretted the action a soreness pinching at her shoulders took her by surprise. She could not help letting out a groan.

Robin was blinking down at her from his spot beside her. "Would you like some help with that?"

She waved off his concern. "I'll be fine. Besides, we still have more walking to do."

He got up on his knees behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Taking care of your sore muscles now will help keep them from getting tighter and more painful later on," he said, and one hand began kneading her neck as the other dug gently into her tense shoulders. Regina wanted to protest, she really did, but his hands were working magic on the knotted muscles in her neck and shoulders. With a sigh she dropped her head, and sat in silence for several minutes as he patiently massaged. When the hand on her neck started feeling more like a caress then a massage, she pulled away. She couldn't afford to give in more than she had.

"Thank you, but it feels fine now."

He snorted, clearly not convinced, but crawled over her anyway, swinging up off the bed to gather his clothes. "Well, it's light out, anyway," he said, as he glanced out one of the dirty-paned windows and then back down at Regina. She was wincing as she arched her back in a stretch. In concern, he added, "Would you like me to continue on and then bring a car around to fetch you?"

Regina, who didn't enjoy the idea of walking anymore at all, looked up at him with a heated glare. "So you can talk to everyone before me?" She snorted and reached for her boots. "Not a chance, Counselor." She finished pulling on her boots and headed for the door.

Pulling on his shoes, he was right behind her, and..._ Oh, good Christ,_ Robin thought almost with a groan, as Regina opened the door to the trailer and they glanced out. There, not more than half a mile from them, was Castle Carraig. He couldn't hold back and snorted incredulously. "It figures."

Regina's eyes widened as she stepped out of the small trailer, looking around at the landscape. Beautiful green grassy fields stretched out, there were large willow trees blowing in the light breeze, and in the distance, a large towering castle. Somehow Regina felt like she stepped into a fairytale. Coming to a stop, she heard Robin's footsteps behind her. "We were this close?"

Robin blew out a breath. "Appears so."

There was a moment of silence as they both took in their surroundings. Regina had to admit, she could see why both clients were fighting hard to keep it. "To hell with Will and Anastasia, I want it."

Robin's lips pulled into a half smirk, and looking up, she smiled back at him. _There she is_, he thought, right before they both placed their gazes back on the castle, _there's the woman I've wanted to see_. "Well, duty calls."

"Yep." She returned, as they fell into pace side by side. "So you think you can get the servants to back up your claim?"

He caught her eye. "Well I guess we'll find out."

"I guess we will." Regina upped her pace, walking ahead of him.

* * *

><p>The door to the castle opened, an old woman with long grey hair, which was rolled up into a neat bun on top of her head, and a set of glasses on the tip of her nose, came out to greet them. "Well, hello there. Welcome to Caislean Carraig."<p>

"Hello, I'm Regina Mills…"

"I'm Robin Locksley, and I represent Mrs. Scarlet…"

Both Regina and Robin wasted no time and trampled over one another in their introductions, both wanting to get to speak with the servants before the other. Once they were finished with their own monologues, there was a beat of silence while the older woman at the door tilted her head staring at the both of them.

Regina didn't miss the way she ran a critical eye over herself and Robin, before her smile pulled into a wide, wide grin showing a fair amount of teeth. "Ah, would you be the posh lawyers over from America, then?"

"Yes," they answered again in unison.

She looked between them. Regina has a feeling the old woman wasn't entirely thrilled, but then she smiled again welcoming them. "That's grand."

They both were shown to their rooms, but neither took advantage of the plush beds, or the large, well-renovated showers, _or _bothered to ask for a change of clothes -as theirs were now currently at the bottom of a large ravine- because they knew if they gave the other that slight advantage, the other would take it.

They both spent the day going from staff person to person. The maids, the butler, the driver, footmen… (Regina felt like she was in the middle of an episode of Downton Abbey,) and as they passed one another on the staircase it was Robin's _"So far they all agree with me,"_ and her reply of, _'Me too," _that stopped them in their tracks.

Turning towards one another slowly, they each stared hard at one another. Robin's shook his head, amused in spite of himself.

Regina simply growled as she continued down the stairs.

* * *

><p>Robin sighed, and tossed his notepad and pencil into the table beside him. Leaning forward and rubbing his eyes, Robin tried to erase the headache threatening him. He got to his feet and turned when the footman entered the room with a variety of clothes for him. Robin nodded his thanks and told him, "Jefferson, I'm going to need to interview the staff again, I'm not getting anywhere."<p>

The slightly younger man looked up at that. "I'm afraid you'll be out of luck there, Sir. They'll all be down at the festival."

Robin tilted his head curiously. "Festival?"

* * *

><p>"It's the village's anniversary," Widow Lucas began, as she hung a few dresses and laid out some garments for Regina. "It celebrates the couple that founded the place over two hundred years ago. Quite a lovely story. They were deeply in love, but 'er father didn't approve, so they ran away 'ere and got married in secret. And every year we have a festival in their honor. It's very romantic. Singin' and dancin'."<p>

"Awe, that's…" Regina couldn't think of a sentiment other than one that began with shrug or a scoff. Romance, pfft. Who needed it? But she was a guest, and so she smiled at Widow Lucas and said, "That's nice."'

* * *

><p>Robin bit the inside of his cheek trying not to laugh, and nodded most solemnly, while Jefferson explained, "So basically this big oaf didn't like this little gobshite nailin' his daughter, etc, etc… blah, blah, blah," the man drawled, bored by the tale he'd probably told a thousand other times to guests and tourists alike, and finished with a shrug and a roll of his eyes. "So basically a lame excuse for a three day booze-up."<p>

"Ah, I see." Robin chuckled.

"Will we be seein' you and your lass there, then?" Jefferson asked, stopping before he left.

Robin smiled kindly at him. It was an opportunity to talk to the community, neighbors, and catch more of the staff after all. But mostly, it was a chance to be with _her_, and Robin couldn't say no to that. "I think you will."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Robin leaned against the wall, and his jaw fell a bit slack when his eyes found her. She was wearing a dress of Anastasia's. It was low cut, and a beautiful cobalt blue, with capped sleeves. The color emphasized her porcelain skin and deepened the richness of her dark hair and eyes. His smile widened as he stood up straight, and he told her, in the thickest Irish accent he could muster, "So it's the wild woman of New York herself, I'd never had recognized ya. You're cuttin' a fine figure this evenin', even if I do say so meself."<p>

Regina grinned at his playful charm, and looked away, holding back a giggle, but the tell-tale sign of her shoulders shaking in silent laughter gave her away. She smiled up at him and raised one eyebrow. "And you look like you're wearing… that." She gestured half-heartedly at his ensemble.

Robin frowned and looked down at his... Will's clothes. He had jeans with stitched designs along the legs, adorned with tassels, and a black button down shirt that would have been great if it didn't have thick red and green roses stitched along it.

"You don't like it?"

"No, no, you've got kind of a Lennie Kravitz meets KISS without the make-up. Never too old to rock and roll, huh." She gave him a thumbs-up and a smirk, one that he returned with his own and then rolled his eyes.

He walked up to her and let his hands trail down her sides, and then reaching for one of her hands, he brought it up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Shall we, milady?" He smiled as he felt her shiver, but simply tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and led her down the stairs.

Together they walked into the village's large pub, and Robin's hand found the small of her back, helping to guide her to a nearby small empty table and chairs. They took their seats, both sitting back taking the time to have a look around. There was a lively Irish band playing, while a group of young girls danced, and the crowd cheered them on merrily.

Robin leaned toward Regina, his bright blue eyes gazing deep into her dark ones. "Did they tell you about the story of this?"

Breathing in, she dropped her elbows to the table and laced her hands together. She shrugged and told him, "Yes, and it's all little unicorns and leprechauns for me."

He shook his head at her dismissal and shrugged. "I thought it was rather charming."

A waiter passed by their table, setting two very small shot glasses of a clear liquid in front of them. Robin called out a 'thank you' to the man, as Regina picked hers up bringing it to her nose and smelling it. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. "What's this?"

Robin chuckled, shaking his head at her. Taking his from the table, he raised it in the air. "It looks like potcheen."

Regina's face scrunched and she arched a brow. "Poo-what?"

He snorted and then laughed. "Not Poo-cheen, _pu- _tcheen. It's an Irish drink. Slightly illegal. Sorta like moonshine."

Cocking her head to the side, she chuckled as well. "Ahh, Gaelic for goat's nut."

He couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips in reference to their night together. Perhaps it wasn't quite as bad as she let on? In fact, Robin was almost certain that she was just as crazy about him, as he was for her. He just needed to figure out what was making her so wary, and not only of him, but of relationships in general. His smile grew warmer as he stared at her.

She blinked at him a few times, and finally said, "Well, are we going to drink these or not?"

Robin laughed again, and clicked his glass with hers, "To us."

Regina's eyes narrowed, but she didn't protest, only drank. Grimacing, she coughed, and ran her tongue over her teeth. "Ugh, God, I was right the first time. It is poo."

Before he could respond, a short stout man walked up to their table. Standing at Regina's side, he asked, "Could I have the pleasure of this dance with you, Miss?"

Regina's eyes widened and she looked up at the man and then back to Robin for help. He bit his lip, trying very hard not to laugh at the incredulous look on her face.

She shook her head, shifting in her seat closer to Robin, and placing her hand on his thigh. "No, I can't I'm sorry."

Robin ran a hand over his face to smother the smile there. Placing a hand on her shoulder he gave her a gentle shove forward. "Aw, she'd love to."

"No, Robin." She glared at him, protesting. "I'm working. I can't…"

"Go on," Robin encouraged, grinning madly at her.

The man took Regina's hand and pulled her up. "You'll soon love it, my dear."

"Robin, no," Regina hissed, her tone hostile, but her eyes pleaded with him.

"Go on, kick those legs up!" Robin called out to her over the music. The glare she shot him then could've curdled milk.

Regina would never admit it, but once she got out on the dance floor, and began dancing not only with the short nameless man, but those around her, she actually had fun.

The song ended and the man who asked her to dance turned to her. "Jesus, you're a handsome strap of a woman. Are you married?"

Regina opened her mouth to reply, and then closed it. Looking over at the bar Regina spotted Robin, talking with a few men. "Would you excuse me for a moment?"

"There you are," Robin said, excusing himself to turn towards her. "How was your dance?"

Groaning, Regina replied, "Do not leave me again for a moment."

At that, Robin's lips broke into a wide smile and he pulled her closer to him. "Alright, are you okay?" He was a bit satisfied and not ashamed to admit he enjoyed seeing the relief and soft smile that graced her features when she looked at him.

"I'm fine, I'm just not in the mood to be gawked at or hit on by strange men."

Feeling bold, he leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips. It was chaste, but lingered long enough for her knees to grow weak, leaving warmth spreading in her lower belly. Regina lifted her hands, placing one around his neck and one on his back. He pulled away slowly, and their eyes locked together. He watched her swallow, her tongue darting out briefly to lick her lips, and felt heat bloom in his chest.

"There," he told her in a low, warm tone, adding, "now you won't be bothered again."

"Will you be drinking in the match?"

They broke apart and look up into the smiling blue eyes of a young messy blonde bartender. "I beg your pardon?" Robin asked.

"The match." She told him, pointing along the row of seats no occupied by a variety of men, except for the seat he was standing by. "See which fella can drink three pints the fastest. It'll be startin' just about now. If you wanna pull up a chair."

Robin shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

Regina raised an amused brow. "Really? You?"

"You don't think I can do it?" he asked, sitting in the chair and nodding to the men to the left and right of him.

She chuckled. "Actually, I think I'd like to see this."

"Alright, gents," a man behind the bar shouted. "Pick your poison."

Robin chose Guinness, and the bartenders set to work lining their drinks up in front of them. He looked back, and Regina gave him an encouraging wide grin and two thumbs up.

"Ready?" The petite blonde woman, yelled. "Set… Go!"

They were off.

Men and women crowded around the bar, all chanting, "_Go, go, go…" _and Regina couldn't help joining in_._ She watched as Robin stayed at a good pace along with all the others, but in the second round he gained speed, his glass down before everyone else, and managed to finish off the third round before the others got through half of theirs.

He slammed down his last glass with a final, "Yeah!"

Robin had won.

Regina cheered. "Whoo, alright!" she called out to him. He grinned at her as the man sitting next to him clapped him on the back.

He shook hands with the other competitors and the bartender gave him his trophy. It was a figurine of a small Leprechaun playing a flute. Robin thanked the young woman with smirk, and then he turned, tossing the small statue to Regina. "Here you are, darling," he said, blowing her a kiss as she caught the figure. She laughed as she examined the small figure before tucking it in her purse.

Many more drinks and dances were shared between them, and then before they knew it they were watching as couples stood up, and made their vows on the festival day. It was good luck, they were told, to marry today on the anniversary of the founders.

Regina wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the fact that Robin was standing so close, his hand in hers, shooting warmth throughout her, making her feel protected and loved, but somehow it happened. Maybe it was the soft whispered words of affection as they danced, or the gentle kisses they shared in darkened corners that grew more heated and demanding as the night wore on? She couldn't remember if it was he who asked or if it was she, but as she woke up the next morning, what she could remember was the vows they made that night.

"_...the vows you have taken are holy and binding," Father Tuck had told them, as Robin placed a ring made of green stones on her finger. Then taking a similar ring from the priest, Regina mirrored Robin's earlier actions. They held hands and smiled at one another, and Regina let herself for one night finally acknowledge the feelings she had for this man. Robin's grip tightened on her as Father Tuck said, "You've exchanged rings as a token of your eternal love… I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."_

* * *

><p><em>"Robin," she said in a low whisper while closing her eyes, feeling the way his fingers started to lower the zipper of her dress. His fingertips following behind it sent a shiver down her spine. "I don't think-"<em>

_He gently placed one finger over her lips._

_"Don't think, my love. Just feel."_

_With that, he took her mouth in a long, hot, drugging kiss. His tongue touched the seam of her lips until she opened her mouth to him, and he groaned into her mouth as his tongue slipped inside to taste her. He pulled back and fastened his lips on the curve of her neck, and Regina moaned, throwing her head back to give him better access. He was alternating kisses between her jaw and neck, and she could feel his hardness pressing into her through the layers of clothes they still wore. She let herself fall into him, into the moment, and sighed into his mouth as his lips found hers again and his fingers pulled her dress down, down, down until it puddled it her feet. He watched intently as inch after delicious inch of bare skin was revealed in the sliver of light that spilled from the small window._

_Regina felt his hands on her hips, pressing her further into him, and her heart started to pound with renewed force as she moaned into his kiss._

_Needing to feel him, feel his skin against hers, feel his heart between under her hand, she broke away from their kiss. Panting, she pulled at his shirt until he slid it over his head and threw it away._

_At her eager response, Robin hummed and backed them up to the bed. He sat down, and his eyes drank in the image of her, standing before him in a dark blue, lace covered bra and underwear. He could see the outline of her nipples through the lace, and his hands itched to touch them._

_He pulled her to him until she was straddling his hips and feeling his erection pressing against her. She leaned forward and brought her lips to his mouth and slid her hands up his face. She reached his hair and buried her fingers there in the soft dark blond strands. He pulled her to him, his hand splaying along the warm skin of her back as he fit his mouth to hers._

_With their tongues tangling together, he put his own hands into motion and ran his fingertips down her spine once before unclasping her bra and tossing it away with the rest of their clothes. His hands caressed their way around her ribs and he palmed her breasts before taking on in his mouth, making her let out a deep moan._

_"Gods, Regina…"_

_Before she knew what was happening, Robin swirled them around so her back was against the mattress._

_Regina looked up at him with those dark, bewitching eyes, and asked, "What are you thinking?"_

_"Well, I'm thinking lots of things. I'm thinking it's been far too long since I've kissed this spot right here…" She gasped as his lips found the spot right below her collarbone that sent all thoughts from her. "I'm also thinking," he began as he sat up slightly, his palms sliding down her ribs to her hips, grasping the lace of her panties and sliding them down her thighs, his fingertips trailing her smooth legs, "that it's been far too long since you let someone love you, and I intend to remedy that."_

_Then he was pulling his jeans and boxer briefs down and off. She smiled and a second later, he'd lowered himself on top of her with care. And then he was kissing her again, another one of those breath-stealing kisses that made her feel as if the sole reason she'd been put on this earth was for this and this alone, to kiss him. As he kissed her, he ran his hands up and down the length of her nude body, doing things, touching things. He groaned into her shoulder when he found the wetness between her legs. His fingers busied themselves at her core, stroking and rubbing, rolling her clit between two fingers and making her whimper into his shoulder._

_No one had ever made him feel as Regina made him feel, as if it was just him and her in the entire world, and that the only thing that mattered at that very moment was the two of them._

_She grabbed his hips, pulling him to her. Robin got the message and seemed to need no further urging. A second later, he had spread her legs and settled between them, his erection teasing her opening, and she moaned loudly and arched up to him. He moaned loudly as he buried himself in her and started thrusting. Tender but confident, he pushed her to the limits, his hands and mouth teasing and arousing her until she cried out in utter abandonment and came apart in his arms._

_Oh, how well they fit together. His body had been created for the sole purpose of being with hers. Robin had never experienced anything like the sensation that swept over him now. He could not remember ever feeling so completed, so whole, the other half of his soul he'd never known he'd been missing finally with him. In fact, he was fairly certain that this was what heaven felt like._

* * *

><p>Regina sat up in bed with a gasp. "Oh my God. Oh my…" Her face fell into her hands, and she felt something hard against her face. Stiffening in horror, she pulled them away slowly to see the green band around her finger. "God," she finished in a whispered breath.<p>

Robin was sound asleep beside her, his arm still around her waist, and she looked over at the hand on her hip that had a ring on his finger as well.

"Robin, wake up."

"Hm?" He grunted, his voice was thick with sleep. "So early, love?"

She growled at him. "Look at your left hand."

Trying to focus, he blinked and waited for his eyes to adjust to the light. "What?"

She scooted away from him pulling the sheet up to cover herself. "Please."

He brought his hand up to his face, taking note of the band around his finger. The previous night came back to him in a rush. The dancing, the drinking, and the wedding. Their wedding.

She held her hand up to her mouth. "Robin, did we get married last night?" Her voice was higher than normal, fearful and anxious.

"Yes, I think that we did," he told her honestly, falling back onto the mattress and rubbing his eyes. "The details are a bit fuzzy, but I remember the bride was stunning in a figure hugging Anastasia dress, and-" Sitting up, he broke off and studied her. "You're not happy?"

"Do I _look_ happy?" she almost wailed.

"Well, it's hard to say. One minute you're angry at me and the next you're kissing me against the bar and asking me to..."

Regina cut him off, with scoff. "We have to find the guy who married us and tell him we didn't mean it."

Blowing out a breath, Robin sat up in bed. "What if I did mean it?"

"Robin, of course you didn't. You don't want to be married to _me_." She shook her head and pulling the sheet free, proceeding to wrap it around herself. "I need to go find Mrs. Lucas."

If she would have stayed another second she wouldn't have missed Robin's _How do you know?,_ accompanied by a gentle smile in her direction. Unfortunately, in her rush to run away, she didn't hear a thing.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: I just wanted to thank you all for your reviews, follows, and favorites. It really means a lot. From this point forward, the story will begin to come into its own, and veer away from the movie more and more. Again, thank you all. Enjoy. -Tina**_

* * *

><p>"How can a whole town be off on a Thursday?" Regina grumbled, attempting to stash her carry-on in the above compartment of the plane. However, the flats she wore today was making that a bit harder than necessary. She pushed harder but there seemed to be something in the back keeping her bag from fitting. From behind her, Robin sighed and took the bag from her. Opening the next compartment over, he placed her bag alongside his.<p>

Still, Regina fumed, and continued on with her rant. "I mean, I get on a Monday or Friday, or Sunday, but on a Thursday? Don't the towns in Ireland live off of tourists? Don't they know that tourists come in during the week because it's cheaper? It's a wonder that country gets anything done at all," she bit out, taking her seat and buckling her seatbelt. She sighed deeply and pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket. "We'll just have to file when we get back home. Then we can pretend it never happened."

Robin closed his eyes, and took a deep breath through his nose as he sat beside her. He knew she'd do this, knew she'd close up on him the moment reality caught up with her, but he wasn't about to give up on her so easily. He wasn't ready to give up on _them_ so easily. Focusing on her, he implored, "But Regina, it did happen and there's a reason for it. Loads of people get smashed without ending up exchanging vows. They usually end up only with what we did _after_ the vows. What happened last night, my love, is tied to a larger issue here. You know, when one's inhibitions are down, people act on their true feelings. Sanderson vs. Sanderson, Illinois 1993."

Regina blinked hard and peered into those cerulean blue eyes, and tried not to remember the way they looked at her the night before, the heat and passion, as if she were the only thing in the world. "You're citing _case law_ to support this insanity?"

"We got married last night, Regina," he said, his voice low and intense. He took her hand in his, his warm fingers gently caressing hers, and added, "That _means_ something."

Regina sighed, and shook her head as she withdrew her hand, to Robin's discontent, judging by the frown on his face. She knew he didn't really mean it, as much as he said he did. There was no way he would want to be with her forever. He couldn't possibly know her well enough, and if he did, then he definitely would not want to be with her forever. The way she saw it, she would lose him to something stupid and senseless the way she lost Daniel, or, the more likely outcome, he would realize that she was not what he _really_ wanted and would leave her. She knew her already battered heart couldn't take that. Which was why she pushed her feelings aside, no matter how much she wanted to give in, because once she acknowledged the depth of her feelings for, God, her _husband,_ she'd be lost to him. There'd be no turning back. She bit her lip and shoved all thoughts aside. Looking over at him she said, "It means we drank too much and made a mistake, _again_."

"Oh please," Robin dismissed entirely. Sure they had drank quite a bit, but not _that_ much, as the night went on. "I don't recall being _that _drunk."

Regina opened her mouth for a retort, only to be interrupted by a cheerful Irish lilt.

"Hello."

Robin smiled up at the flight attendant, and the words just flew from his mouth, "Hi, we just got married."

Regina looked up to find the Irish woman with deep red hair smiling widely at them and offering a, "Congratulations" that sent Regina over the edge. Her head was throbbing from the alcohol, or the tightly coiled frustration, or perhaps both. She rubbed her temples and snapped, with a hiss very reminiscent of her mother's, "Stop telling people."

Robin looked at her with an innocent smirk. "She's the first one."

Regina bristled under the watchful gaze of the airline attendant. Her lips pursed, holding back a knowing smile, assuming and annoying. She looked away. "But news like this spreads."

Robin sighed, and the attendant must have gotten a clue because Regina heard her tell him, "I'll be back in a bit."

Regina groaned loudly as her hands came up to cover her face.

Robin frowned, placing a hand on her thigh; his fingers stroked her skin as he attempted to soothe her nerves. She was so wound up today, and more surprisingly, she didn't push his hand away. "What is it, Regina?"

She let her hands fall into her lap, and she turned to glare at him in exasperation as he then took one of her hands in his. Turning toward him, she told him, "We can't be married and be opposing counselors."

"Why not, people do it all the time," he told her. Not that he could name any off the top if his head, but they couldn't be the first. His face lit up as he thought of something.

"Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn in _Adam's Rib_ were married and opposing counselors." He smiled at her, and Regina looked back at him in seething disbelief.

"That was a _movie_, Robin! _This_ is real life!"

His face fell slightly as he thumbed her ring, and added, "Can I say something?"

"We'll look ridiculous, Robin," she answered, pulling her hand away, "and no, you cannot."

He blew out a frustrated breath. "Why not?"

She glowered at him. "We'll be the laughing stock of the New York bar association because you will say something contrary just to be contrary. How are we supposed to show our clients that we can speak successfully for them if we can't agree on anything and are supposed to be _married_?!"

Robin leaned toward her, his eyes pleading for her understanding, perhaps an acknowledgement even, of what they had between them. "Regina, in case this has slipped your mind, this is my marriage too."

"You see what I mean? God, my head is pounding." Regina dug through her purse, knowing she had a bottle of Excedrin somewhere within its depths. Her hand clutched an unusual shaped object, and pulling it out, she groaned. That damn little leprechaun Robin had won in that drinking match. She shook her head and slammed it down on the armrest between them.

Robin frowned, taking up the figure. "Look at that, you broke the poor fellow's hat right off. I liked that. I was going to save it for a souvenir."

Regina's head fell back against her seat and she closed her eyes. There were just too many emotions fighting for dominance in her, anger and frustration, exhaustion and apprehension. But namely, her feelings for the man beside her were bringing their own mess of confusion. Taking a deep breath, she looked over at him. His eyes were closed, and she bit her lip. "I'm sorry, Robin," she whispered.

* * *

><p>Regina could hear her mother's footsteps trailing behind her as she walked from the front door straight into the kitchen. She just arrived back from Ireland three hours ago, awkwardly parting ways with her "husband," and then immediately went back to her apartment long enough to shower and changed her clothes before leaving once again to her mother's.<p>

Cora, already aware of her daughter's plight from the night before when Regina had called in a state of panic, chuckled and said, "I've known you for thirty-five years, and alcohol has a very bad effect on you. You get hyper, you get aggressive, and you get married."

Regina gave her a telling look, one that clearly told her mother to lie off of the jokes, but Cora only chuckled more. Regina sighed, and began looking around the kitchen for some kind of junk food, and not surprisingly coming up empty. Settling for a banana on the counter, she reached for one and began stripping off the peel in short, angry movements. She leaned against the counter and told her mother, "This isn't funny, Mother; no one at the office can know. So now I have to research whatever legal system County Claire operates under and get this fixed before anyone finds out."

Cora shrugged, taking a sip from her cocktail she'd placed on the counter before Regina's arrival. "Well why don't you just file here?" Then she raised a critical eyebrow, adding with an all-too innocent, "If that's what you want, that is?"

Regina snorted. "Oh right, that's a great idea. It'll take the press exactly two seconds flat to find out I got drunk, and married, and divorced in exactly twenty-four hours. Yeah, that'll look excellent in the firm's profile."

"Given my vast knowledge of divorce, and it is vast," Cora laughed airily, to which Regina rolled her eyes, Cora continued, "My guess is that there is a lot of wiggle room. Hell, you could probably get it annulled if you two didn't…" Cora paused purposefully, and Regina's face heated and the younger woman looked down at her hands, keeping away from her mother's gaze, but Cora hadn't missed it, and grinned before taking a drink of her beverage. "Never mind." Her voice wavered with amusement.

Regina shook her head and headed to the fridge. "I have to start wiggling first thing in the morning."

"Mmmhmm," Cora hummed in false agreement.

Regina reached into the fridge for a bottle of water, and noticing a set of syringes, she pulled her hand back. She stood looking over at Cora with a critical eye and asked slowly, "Mother, what is this?"

Cora didn't need to ask what her daughter meant by that and replied as if commenting on the weather, "Oh, the girls and I are having a lip party later. You can join us if you'd like. Ruby takes out fat from our butts and injects it into our lips. It's much more natural than other fillers."

Regina shook her head, and shut the fridge with a smirk. "Well, Mother, I have to say, it gives a whole new meaning to talking out of your ass."

* * *

><p>Regina's eyes blinked open, and she squinted at the assault of light that came pouring in from her bedroom windows. Closing her eyes she reached out blindly, grasping her ringing cell phone in her hand and swiping the screen to answer her early morning caller. Her voice was rough with sleep still, and she croaked, "Hello?"<p>

Her mother's voice filled the other end of the line, shooting straight to the point, and Regina's eyes widened with every word. "Better pick up the _New York Post_ before you think about getting a divorce. Page six."

"What?" she exclaimed. Throwing the blankets aside, Regina cursed, telling her mother that she would call her back. Stumbling around her room she looked down at herself in her silk pajamas and cursed once again, shit, she needed to get downstairs quick. Opening her closet she grabbed a jogging sweater, pulling it on and zipping it before heading for the door. Screw 'em if they looked at her twice. It was New York.

She slipped into a pair of tennis shoes, grabbed her keys from the desk, and pulling open the door she stopped abruptly in her tracks. She blinked in utter astonishment.

Robin.

"Off to get one of these?" he asked, her holding up the newspaper in front of him. Page six, to be exact. A big picture of the both of them, captioned,_ Legally Bound. _Regina let a groan escape her. Damnit. _Damnit. _Why would he?

She was fuming as she turned around and stomped quite angrily into her living room where she began to pace.

Robin followed silently behind her, shutting the door and allowing her some space and some time to take it all in and what it would mean for them. He knew this complicated things, and he was at a loss, quite frankly, at how to position the idea he'd come up with on his cab ride over here.

Finally turning to him, she brushed her hair back behind her ears, her hands coming to rest on her hips. "Why did you tell them this?" she questioned, looking at him with a tired exasperation. "Are you crazy?"

Robin's brows rose at the pained accusation in her voice. Of course she would think it was him. Of course she would imagine him being the only one who would try to embarrass her by telling the press something like this, and never once consider he might have done it to keep her with him. Sure, he'd be lying if he said the thought did not cross his mind a time or two, or six, but he wouldn't do that to her. "You think I did this?" He held his arms out wide, and continued, "Why would I do that, when you've made it abundantly clear being married to me was the last thing you wanted?" Pulling his phone from his jacket pocket, he began looking for the number to the _Post_.

Regina's shoulders fell. "What are you doing?"

"Calling the _Post_ and asking for a retraction, to tell them that it was all a mistake," he told her, still staring down at the phone. He couldn't look at her. Christ, this was a bloody mess.

"Robin…"

She could hear her voice soft and pleading, but he rallied on undeterred, "Or that is, that _we _made a mistake." He nearly scoffed out loud at that. Even if he'd been blind drunk, which he _hadn't_ been, he would never think being married to her was a mistake. He couldn't say exactly _when_ he'd fallen in love with her, but God, in love with her he was, and seeing the ring on his finger when he'd woken up that morning in Ireland had sent a thrill right through him. But she was clearly manifestly upset over the whole marriage thing, so if this retraction and admittance of a mistake was what she wanted, he'd damn well give it to her. Finally looking up, he asked, "Which is it?"

"Robin, please, just put the phone away," Regina sighed. She was so damn annoyed with the situation, but at the same time she trusted Robin. She had no idea how the press found out about them, but it'd happened and now they needed to solve this together. She knew this wasn't what Robin wanted, and damn herself for wanting it herself, but she needed to think, they both needed time to think. She took a couple of steps toward him, reaching out for his hand. He took it easily in his, gently squeezing her fingers, and she led them both to the couch. Facing him, she saw the tightness in his jaw and the tension there. "I'm not trying to be hurtful here, just bear with me for a minute okay? Trust me."

Robin laughed lightly, God he loved her more than words could say, but there were times like now, when he just wanted to shake her or kiss her, he wasn't sure. There was still a bit of spite on the tip of his tongue when he told her, "Mmhmm, you mean the way you trust me?"

Guilt clouded her features, and she looked away, pursing her lips, her hair falling from its confines from behind her ear. The air left Robin in a defeated breath at the look on her face, and he reached over to tuck that stubborn strand of hair back in place. God, he didn't want to hurt her. She turned back to look at him, those dark brown orbs meeting his concerned blue. His thumb brushed along her cheek before falling down to grasp her hand in his. "Listen, we got married whether we like it or not, and at the very least it was a little impulsive." She arched an eyebrow at him, and he chuckled, adding, "All right, maybe it was more than a little impulsive. But we're back in New York and on opposite sides of a major case, so whatever we may or may not do in the future, in the short term..."

She could see where he was going and she interrupted with an enthusiastic, "I agree."

Robin blinked at her. Had he heard her right? "I'm sorry?"

She nodded, saying again, "I agree." Regina straightened. This would be good; it would give her time to think. "It's the only sensible thing to do, in the short term."

Robin's lips tipped into a smile. "I haven't said what I was going to say."

Her stomach flipped as it did anytime he looked at her like that, which was quite a lot lately. She took a deep breath, only allowing a ghost of a smile to chase after his, and she stated, "You were going to say that we need to appear married or we will seriously screw up our careers."

"So that only leaves one question doesn't it?" She tilted her head to the side, and was rewarded with another one of his dimpled grins. He bit his lower lip, looking at her with an unfathomable expression before amusement replaced it, and then asked, "Your place or mine?"


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Okay, so again thank you all for the reviews. I love hearing from you all. And I have to really _really_ thank my dear beta. _–sigh_- Lord above I think I need to give her credit for writing this chapter after all the errors she had to correct! I will buy you chocolates have then delivered ASAP. (Note to all aspiring writers, Google Docs is handy for writing on your phone, but if you have an android just avoid using Swype. Ugh, trust me it does more harm than good, albeit some pretty hilarious mistakes.)**

**Alright, I've rambled enough. Enjoy.**

* * *

><p>"Forgive me if I get emotional, but this is the day every mother ever dreams of. The day she gets to watch her only daughter, her newlywed child, put a lock on her bedroom door," Cora told Regina with a dramatic sigh, and then deadpanned, "to keep her <em>husband<em> out."

Regina rolled her eyes, and snapped, "Oh, stop it mother. There may have been a wedding, but this flight of insanity is _not_ a marriage."

Cora sighed deeply. "Only because of your irrational fear of rejection. Regina dear, I realize my track record with marriage wasn't the most influential while you were growing up, but honey, despite your lucrative profession, not _all_ marriages end in divorce, and not every man you love will..."

Her mother's voice trailed off as Cora hesitated, searching for the right words, but Regina jumped in and finished the end of her thought. "Die, mother? That's what you were going to say, right? That Robin won't meet the same fated end like Daddy did, or Daniel for that matter?"

"Exactly." Cora gave her daughter a firm, resolute nod, but Regina only turned her back to her, making Cora implore, "Regina, honey, look at me." She took her by the shoulders and turned Regina to face her. Cora's heart broke a bit at the look of sadness there. Bringing up her hands she held her daughter's face between them. "Refusing to let people in won't save you from hurting."

Wiping a few tears that managed to escape from her eyes, Regina sniffed and looked away. "I guess that's my problem, isn't it."

Cora sighed. "Not just yours, but also the people who love you and want you to be happy."

Regina looked back at her then, but soon there was a knock on the door that forced their eyes apart. Robin. She'd been expecting him over an hour ago, and Regina straightened, heading for the bathroom to give herself a moment before she faced her new roommate.

It was Cora instead that headed to greet their guest.

As the front door pulled open, Robin smiled at the woman before him. Her dark hair, eyes, and cheekbones told him this was his infamous mother-in-law. "Hello, I'm Robin Locksley. I'm the husband."

Cora's smile widened. Her eyes took him in from head to toe, and she silently applauded her daughter. Robin looked even better in person than on television, and no matter what Regina professed, a man like this must feel something for her or he would never get involved in a mess like this. She inclined her head a little as she greeted, "Hello, I'm the mother."

Holding open the door for him, she moved aside, and Robin picked up two suitcases, talking them into the apartment and depositing them in the living room.

Turning, he awkwardly began to chuckle. Christ, what a mess. Here he was standing in front of Regina's mother, and all he felt like was a complete cad. How could he explain to her he never meant for it to happen like this? That in spite of appearances, he was in no way taking advantage of her only daughter? He blew out a breath and said, "I'm sorry about all this. I want you to know I intend to set this right as soon as possible."

The older woman studied him, and raised one slim, elegant eyebrow. "She's stubborn, you know. She gets that from me."

Not sure where she was going with this, Robin's brow furrowed. "I don't follow?"

Cora pursed her lips slightly. "If all this is for you is a cheap little battle of wills, and some twisted thrill from playing her husband while trying to beat her in court, then I'm going to tell you right now: Regina will outlast you, hands down."

Robin wanted to smile at her coolly delivered but clearly momma bear speech, but he managed to keep a straight face. "I care a great deal for your daughter."

"Good. She's hasn't had the most luck in regards to relationships. Don't give up on her."

"I don't plan to," he told her earnestly, albeit a bit taken aback. Robin was about to inquire more into what exactly she meant by her statement when Regina came into the room. Her hair was down, but pulled loosely over one shoulder. Dark jeans and a black and white zip-up sweater accentuated her features and curves. She looked comfortable, and the light makeup made him wish things were different right now. Robin would give everything just be allowed to kiss the scowl from those lovely pouting lips.

"Oh good, you're here. Well, I've got work do so I'll show you around then you'll forgive me if I call it a night." Regina continued to walk down the hall, avoiding Robin's eyes. Opening a door, she turned on the light. "This is your room. I've made some room in the closet, even though it looks like you never hang anything up." She muttered the last part under her breath, but Robin heard it, and his mouth twisted wryly.

"Hm."

"The bathroom is through there."

Robin rubbed his neck, sighing. "Back to your old self, that seems promising. I told you, darling, we don't need separate bedrooms. I don't mind your snoring." Regina turned gave a tight lipped sneer. "Can I use the kitchen?" he asked, causing her to roll her eyes and continue down the hall. Wonderful. Yet another thing to add to the already bloated repertoire of things he could do. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"He cooks?" Cora looked up at Robin, then back to Regina, calling to her retreating form, "You never told me he cooks."

The slamming of Regina's bedroom door had Robin wincing. He and Cora stood in the hall as the silence stretched between them, and then finally he gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll come around."

The older woman chuckled. "Shouldn't I be telling that to you?"

"Yes, well…" He took a deep breath his then remembered mentions of Regina's mother every now and then in the Post. "I've enjoyed reading about you in the society pages. Are you uh, really fifty-seven?"

She paused, arching one eyebrow. "I suppose there are parts here and there that are." Her smile widened into a knowing grin. "Would you like a cocktail?"

"Oh yes," Robin turned, following Cora into the kitchen, "as long as it's an extremely large one."

* * *

><p>Robin swallowed hard as he walked into the kitchen the following morning to find Regina standing at counter, sipping a cup of coffee, and typing something into her phone. Her long dark hair fell to her shoulders in soft waves, and it made his hands itch to touch it, to run his fingers through it. Better yet, to have her spooned against him so he could nuzzle her neck, breathing in those dark silky lock that always smelled of apple blossoms.<p>

"What?" she asked, a curious frown on her lips, making Robin wish he could take the three strides it would take to reach her and kiss the frown away.

Caught staring, he backtracked instead of confessing his desires and gestured the plate on the table. "I made cookies."

Regina followed his gaze but shook her head. "I've decided to give up sugar. It's an emotional crutch."

Well, that was news to him, though by the covert glance Regina threw at the cookies, it might not be a lasting change. "Oh, okay," he said as he blew out a breath, nervously fiddling with the box in his pocket. Might as well get this over with.

Regina eyed him over the rim of her coffee cup. She took a sip as he came up beside her, reaching for the coffee pot. His eyes met hers, and she could tell he was debating something, as he had that look he got when he knew something she didn't, and it was starting to worry her. Finally, she asked, "What?"

"Is that what you're wearing?"

"Isn't that my line for you?" She smirked at him; taking the pot he'd just replaced and refilling her cup. Robin continued to gaze at her, his gentle look unwavering. She suddenly felt unsure of herself. Glancing down at her dove-gray pantsuit, she brushed at her slacks. Did she have something on them? She searched the front of the teal-blue blouse she was wearing. No, nothing seemed to be there. She tucked her hair nervously behind her ears. She'd worn her hair down today, something different her usual, either a bun at the nape of her neck or pulled back into a twist. The image of him running her fingers through it the night they were together last was still fresh in her mind. She knew Robin loved her hair, had told her so more than once. She'd never admit that the extra care she'd spent curling it this morning, was because she was hoping he might notice. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"Nothing, nothing. I think it's just missing something, is all." Robin pulled out the box he'd been clutching in his pocket, holding it aloft for her to see in his palm, then set it on the counter and pushed it in her direction. Her eyes followed his every move, watched with rapt attention as he pulled his hand away. "We're married remember? We have to look like we mean it." Regina swallowed hard, setting her coffee cup absentmindedly aside. Her hand didn't pick up the box, but rested beside it. Noticing her hesitation, he acted on her behalf. "Here, let me."

He didn't wait for her to answer, just picked up the box, and opening it, he took out the rings held inside. Call him a sentimentalist, but when he'd gone out early yesterday before he moved in, he'd actually put some time and thought into choosing her ring. Sure, he could have gone with a plain gold band for them both, and it might have been more in keeping with what she kept trying to say they were, but at the end of the day, he couldn't see her with anything plain. No, she deserved much more.

It was supposed to be a symbol of his love for her, was it not?

He'd hemmed and hawed over different settings, cuts, and metals, and in the end it was the ring that found him. In a display case in a corner of the store, the three stone, princess cut, bridal set was exactly what he'd been looking for. It wasn't too big, not too small, it was delicate and stunning and just so very _her_. He'd chosen a white gold setting, gotten himself a matching polished band, and that was that. She might feel it was too much, and perhaps it was, for something she was determined she would put an end to as soon as she deemed their careers wouldn't suffer the backlash, but until then, until then, he would make her feel like a woman who was loved and loved well. And perhaps, in time, he would make her see that this wasn't about saving their careers, but about how very much he loved her and needed her in his life.

Regina's breath caught as he opened the box; her immediate reaction, as her mouth went dry, was _it's too much, _and _he shouldn't have done this,_ but as she watched him take the rings from box, and reach for her left hand, any protest she would have had died on her lips. The bands slipped easily onto her finger, making her dimly wonder just _how_ he could have known her ring size so easily.

Regina stared down at her hand, taking a moment so he couldn't look into her eyes and watch them fill with tears. Once she found her breath, blinking, she cleared her throat but found she didn't know what to say. She should tell him he shouldn't have, that he needed to return them, but when she finally looked up, she could see the intensity of the affection he held for her, which only made her want to forget that this was all pretend.

"Well," his voice was speaking low into the small space between them, "say something."

She couldn't tear her eyes from his; licking her lips she watched as his eyes followed her movements. She leaned forward slightly but then caught herself. What she wouldn't give to close the distance between them but couldn't. It would only confuse things between them, make them already messier than they were, and she wouldn't lead him on. It wouldn't be fair when she didn't even know what she wanted. Taking a step back, placing a bit of needed distance between them, she asked, "Did you get one for yourself?"

Robin nodded, and pulled his ring from his pants pocket. "You want me to do it or…" he offered, holding the ring out.

"No," Regina replied, reaching for it without hesitation. "I want to." Robin smirked at the possessiveness in her voice, replacing it with a gentle smile when she took his hand, mirroring his earlier action, and placed his band on his finger.

"There," he started, taking her left hand once again in his, and bringing it up to his lips, placed a kiss upon it. "Now we can fool anyone, eh?"

Looking into those warm blue eyes she couldn't help but agree. "That we can."

* * *

><p>Friday afternoon, four days later, Regina sat rubbing her temples as she received a text. Robin asked her to meet him on the courthouse steps at one, that it was extremely important, and having just finished up a mediation she had just made his request on time. The headache was still there, though thankfully not from another round of the Anastasia and Will Name-Calling Show.<p>

Glancing around between the millings of people coming and going in and out of the government building, she finally spotted him making his way up the street, a smile gracing his features as he caught sight of her. He was carrying a brown paper bag, and soda. Her hands out wide, she asked with a bit of exasperation, "What's the big emergency?"

He shrugged, telling her there was no emergency per say, then bit his lip, giving her that grin the made knees go weak, and her face softened into a smile of her own. "I thought you might like this."

He held out the bag and she noticed the logo of her favorite deli. "Lunch?" She looked up at him, confused. "You brought me lunch?"

"I did." He took her hand in his, and led her over to an area with less foot traffic, and they both took a set on the steps. "And if memory serves, I remember you wishing for one of these very sandwiches on our dire journey through the Irish fog and mud."

"That's…" She didn't know what to say. She wasn't used to these small, seemingly insignificant gestures of… what care? Love? Not since Daniel, and that was an awfully long time ago. She shook her head, blinking away the moisture pooling there,_ it was just a sandwich, Regina, _she told herself, and took the wrap from him. "Thank you."

He settled a bit closer to her on the step, leaning over and placing a kiss on her temple. He breathed her in once and then answered, "You're very welcome."

Regina let out a groan of relief peeling back the paper and spying provolone and pastrami on rye that made her mouth water. She didn't realize how hungry she actually was, humming in bliss as she took a big unladylike a bite of her sandwich, which pulled a wide grin from Robin's lips. "God, that's good."

He chuckled. "Thought you might like that."

She hummed her agreement as she took another bite. Robin passed her a can of Coke with straw in it. Taking a grateful sip, she studied him as he sat beside her. His blue button-up sleeves were rolled up, and the sun was shining, making his sandy hair gleam a bit more golden in its rays, the creases near his bright blue eyes only making him more ruggedly appealing. Regina genuinely wondered how it was he wasn't taken by now, but then the ring on his hand caught the light just so, and with a gleam of satisfaction she reveled in the fact that at the moment he _was_ taken.

He was _hers_.

"What's that look for?"

Regina jumped and bit her tongue. Damn she was caught staring. Her attention now back in her lunch, she shrugged. "What look?"

"You look like the cat that ate the cream," he mused, loving the blush that crept up her neck and cheeks.

Regina scoffed, "It's nothing. Just the sandwich."

"I should you lunch more often then," he told her cheekily, his hand finding the small of her back, thumb stroking back and forth there, and if she happened to lean back into his touch neither one said a thing about it. He pulled out his own lunch and ate. After few minutes, he noticed that she winced slightly and placed a hand to her forehead, and without a word he sat up and gently rubbed circles on her temples. She hummed slightly in pleasure as his fingers soothed away her headache, and he smiled at her and pulled away to finish his lunch. Once their food was done, Robin let her finish off the Coke, and then told her, "Well I'm done for the day; I thought I might go do a little shopping?"

She tilted her head. "Shopping?"

"Mm." He took out some gum from his pocket and held out a piece for her to take, which she did with a grateful smile. He got to his feet, and then held out a hand for her. Helping her to her feet, he said, "I need to procure some much needed provisions. I thought I might cook us up something tonight. Italian, perhaps?"

"You really can cook? It's not just the cookies?" She didn't doubt it. He was amazing at everything. And she did mean everything; with an internal groan, she pushed thoughts of her husband in bed away, and concentrated on the conversation at hand.

He smiled down his lovely wife and assured, "I can."

"Hmm," She adopted a skeptical look and teased, "I think this is something I'll have to see to believe."

His lips tipped up into a smirk, boldly leaning down and placing a quick chaste kiss to her lips. "Then it's settled. I'll see you at home tonight, my love. Bring that elusive yet satisfying smile and your appetite."

* * *

><p>Regina made her way out of the busy courthouse, anxious to get back to her office, make some notes, check in with Ashley and get home to Robin. Regina slowed in her steps with that realization. Was she really looking forward to dinner with him? She abruptly stopped and frowned. Sure this, domestic bliss was convenient, comforting even, but Regina knew better. It would never last. Experience told her that it was doomed to fail, just like all of her clients, just like her mother's relationships, and even her own.<p>

A call of her name across the room had Regina looking up to see an impeccably dressed Kathryn Nolan, and a woman Regina had never met walking beside her, coming toward her. "Oh, hello."

"Hello," Kathryn replied, smiling at Regina, and adding with amusement, "How goes domestic bliss?"

Regina gave her a tight smile, but then softened it into something more genuine. Robin's words filtering into her mind, _now we can fool anyone. _Adopting a look of a woman very much in love, which wasn't too hard to pull off, she admitted with a kind tone, "Well it's still very new, but all in all…"

"Keeping you on your toes at home and at work." Kathryn laughed at her own interruption, and then the blonde's eyes widened, looking over at the dark haired woman beside her. She said, "Oh, I'm sorry this is my friend Marian, from LA. Marian, this is Regina Mills Lock-"

"I know who you are," the brunette said, cutting off her friend with a knowing glance in Regina's direction. Regina's brow furrowed and she tilted her head to the side trying to remember if she'd ever met the woman before, but she needn't have worried, when the woman named Marian said with a wry chuckle, "You're Robin's wife."

Regina nodded. She wondered if Robin had introduced them before, and perhaps she was just not remembering her or… She settled by answering with a, "Yes, I am."

"How is he?" Marian asked, as if genuinely concerned.

Not sure how to answer that, Regina smiled and answered with a shrug. "He's great... He's Robin."

The dark haired woman rolled her eyes, and snorted an, _"I'm sure he is," _which caused something inside Regina to snap to attention, irritation rising in defense of her husband.

Regina straightened her shoulders, and asked politely, "I'm sorry, do you know Robin?" Although something in her wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to know the answer.

"No, not really," Marian shook her head, with an air of humored indifference, then added, surprising Regina, with an, "but I was engaged to him for a little while."

_Oh. _Oh, _really_.

Regina narrowed her eyes perceptibly, while Marian laughed, and continued, "Who really knows Robin, right?" Regina's look must have held something that caused the laugh from the other woman to cease and she smiled. "Well, apparently _you_ do."

Regina returned the smile, only hers was a bit more smug, as she stated, "I do know him."

"We were just on our way to grab a cup of coffee, would you like to join us?" Kathryn asked, unaware of the tightness that crossed Marian's face at the mention of Regina joining them.

Regina bit the inside of her cheek. She really should be leaving, Robin would already be home. He'd promised her dinner and truthfully she had been looking forward to it since he mentioned it at lunch. "You know I really should be getting home…"

"Oh, that's too bad." Kathryn's face fell into what Regina would have considered a pout, and then she shook her head with a small sigh. "I'm sure you and Marian could have shared some interesting stories."

Regina couldn't help the smile that tugged on the corners of her lips. The thought of having some dirt against Robin for later use was a bit too tempting to pass over. She relented with a, "Well, maybe just one cup."

* * *

><p>"Hey," Robin said, turning in her direction a moment before going back to the tomatoes he'd been slicing for their dinner.<p>

"Hi."

"Where've you been?" he frowned, looking around at her a moment before gesturing to a glass of wine he had poured for her a while ago. "I picked us up a bottle of the red moscato you like so much. I poured a glass for you a little while after you texted you were on your way home, but that was a while ago now. Have at it, if it's still cold."

"Thank you," she replied, detecting a bit of pout in his tone, which made her smile at how adorable he really could be when he was feeling neglected. She decided to go easy on him and told him nonchalantly, "I ran into Kathryn Noland on my way home today."

"Oh yeah?" he replied, not turning away from the vegetables he was chopping. The judge was what kept her for over an hour. Typical. It was always work with this woman. He was just going to have to start changing that.

"Yeah, she had a friend with her."

His eyes flicked up, and he paused mid-chop. A smile tugged his lips into a smirk, as he had a feeling he knew just who that friend was, but he feigned ignorance. "Oh?"

"I think may know her, really tall, really beautiful," she started, walking around him to rest on the counter beside him where she could see his face, then continued on, "A woman named Marian."

"Ah, Marian," he chuckled, taking a piece of carrot and munching on it as he transferred the vegetables into a pan beside the cutting board. Swallowing he asked, "What's she doing in town? Visiting Kathryn, no doubt?"

Regina nodded, taking a sip of her wine. "They were on their way out to the Hampton's to go husband hunting, but they stopped off long enough to invite me out to coffee and fill me in on a couple of things." She arched a brow and asked the question that had been burning on her mind for the last two hours, "You two were engaged for two years?"

"Nineteen months, actually," he informed her, wiping his hands on the towel beside him and tossing it over his shoulder. Attempting to change the subject, he said, "And your mother called earlier, we had a nice _long _chat."

_Nice try, Robin_ she thought. However, Regina was not to be detoured and continued, "And then there was a Nicole…" Regina took another sip of her wine, watching Robin's brow crease and his face setting into a scowl. She licked her lips attempting to remember dear Nicole's last name. "Berk… Brooks…"

"Book," Robin clarified with just a hint of annoyance, placing their salads on the table.

"Right," she pointed out, filling in the story for him, "she was your opposing counsel during Swartz verses Swartz."

Robin sighed, grabbing the garlic bread from the counter and placing it on the table. He wondered why she was so interested in his past. "Yes, she was," he replied, pulling out a chair for her.

She waited until they were both seated at the table and then watched as he took a long drink. "And you were sleeping with her until you won the case?"

Robin choked on his sip of wine, causing Regina to chuckle and bite her lip in mirth. Taking a drink of water, Robin cleared his throat, looking back at her across the table. "Where are you going with this?" he questioned, placing his water glass on the table beside his wine, and met her gaze.

She shrugged, remarking, "I'm just establishing a pattern of behavior."

"Oh?" His eyebrows rose, and he leaned forward, folding his arms in front of him on the table. Challenging, he asked, "And that pattern is?"

She mirrored him, and leaned forward towards him as well. "You make women fall in love with you for whatever purpose you're trying to achieve, and then it's over."

"Oh, that pattern right?" he nodded, looking down into his glass he raised it to his lips. Before taking a drink he decided to tackle the first part of the statement, and he pointed out, "Didn't work on you though, did it?"

Regina looked away. She could feel the heat creep up her neck and she admonished herself for bringing them down this road. Oh if he only knew how well it _did _work on her. Looking over their dinner, she decided a defensive maneuver was in order. "This looks great."

Robin smiled into his glass. He could tell she was trying to change the topic, but he would have none of that, and leaning into her space he confessed, "Alright, I give in. You've beaten a confession out of me. I've been involved with other women." He sighed dramatically and shook his head, offering her a, "damn you're good." He was teasing her now, and her lips turned up into what would have been a smile but she hid it from him behind her wine glass. He smiled at her nonetheless, and pointed out, "But you've missed one."

She tilted her head to the side.

"Amanda O'Leary." He sighed heavily, forking a bit of his salad, and after he took a bite he sighed again. "Oh, Amanda, she was crazy about me."

He went back to eating, and Regina watched him through troubled eyes. Just who the hell was Amanda? When nothing else was forthcoming, she gave in and inquired, "What happened?"

Taking the napkin from his lap, he wiped the sips of his mouth, and then looked up at her. "I dumped her quite unceremoniously, I might add. A complete cad, I was. Right there in the middle of her ninth birthday party."

Regina pursed her lips at him, and just barely kept from rolling her eyes. Robin decided that was the time to address the second part of her pattern statement.

"Regina, people have pasts. I have one and so do you." He swallowed and leaned forward on the table towards her once again. "Yes, I've had several relationships with women, but there's one critical thing you've overlooked. I've never married any of them. Only you."

He tried reaching across the table for her hand, but she pulled it into her lap, her brows drawn together slightly. It might have started out as light-hearted teasing for them both, but that last statement had been entirely too serious for her, and she didn't want to go further down that road. They finished their dinner with some light chitchat, but for them both, the mood was definitely broken.

* * *

><p>"Why the hell am I last to know you got married?"<p>

Regina had opened the door, and raised her eyebrows at an obviously agitated Emma Swan-no, a very agitated Emma _Jones_-who was leaning against the door frame to her apartment, with a widely grinning Henry beside her. The situation was so utterly a tangled mess that Regina had trouble finding the right words to adequately describe her "marriage," and she stuttered, "I... We haven't…"

Emma threw her arms up with what could only be seen defeat, before she gave Henry a nudge and they both start making their way inside the apartment. All the while Emma explained, "I call up Neal, said hey, what's new, how's it been with you and Henry, and then he begins to tell me he just got off the phone with your mother. That you've up and gotten married without telling anyone."

Just as they entered the kitchen, Emma had stopped in her tracks, and Robin smiled at their new guests as he put away the last of the plates from dinner. "Hello."

Emma looked over at Robin with mild surprise, but recovering quickly, she held out her hand to him. "Hey, you must be Regina's husband?"

Robin took the blonde's hand in kind. "Yes, guilty as charged."

Regina came up behind Henry and introduced them all. "Henry, Emma, this is Robin."

Henry pointed at Robin. "Hey, I've seen you."

Robin titled his head to the side, amused. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, on TV." Henry looked back over his shoulder at Regina, grinning once again. "You're the one who beat her. Boy, you made her awfully mad."

Robin's eyes met Regina's, and he bit back a knowing grin, earning him a baleful look over the young man's head. "Did I?"

Henry chuckled. "Yeah, but I told her you liked her, and it looks like I was right."

Robin gave the boy a small smile. "Indeed you were. It's true I do quite fancy her."

Emma walked by Robin to take a seat at the table. "I certainly hope so. You have to put up with her."

Regina glowered at the other woman. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, Regina," Emma paused to let out a laugh, and then added, "You have to admit that you are a bit set in your ways."

Henry shook his head. "I'm going to put my stuff up."

Regina's eyes widened and she realized why they were here. Henry was staying the weekend with her._ Shit. _She completely forgot it was this weekend, and all of Robin's things were in the guest room, and….crap. There was no way anyone was going to buy this happy marriage thing if her _newlywed_ husband was _staying in another room_. "Wait, Henry. Actually, Robin has some his things in there now. So, why don't you just put your bag in the living room for now..."

Regina looked over to Robin, who was watching with curious interest, and she took a deep breath. "Robin, Henry's going to be staying with us for the weekend."

"Oh." His brows raised, and he inquired. "All weekend?"

Regina nodded, and Emma looked between them. "It's not a problem is it? I know we talked about it before… all this, but if you guys have plans..."

"No, it's fine." Regina insisted with a wave of her hand. It wasn't. It was going to make the next two days impossibly uncomfortable and tense and God help her, tempting. "It just slipped my mind momentarily."

"Yeah," Emma smirked good-naturedly, and added, "newlywed syndrome, I get it. Same thing's happening with me and Killian."

Henry rolled his eyes. "Boy, is it ever," he said, earning his a glare from his mother. He liked his stepfather, he really did, but he was really looking forward for the honeymoon phase to end.

Regina felt her cheeks burning as Robin let out a cough from behind her. "I...That's not what this is," she stammered.

Robin came up behind Regina, giving her hip a squeeze, and he told them, "I'll just go clear out the spare room then, yeah?" Regina nodded, told him thank you, and turned back to Emma, who was currently giving Robin's retreating form a candid once over.

The blonde raised a brow at Regina, and then, smirking, Emma told her, "He's cute. Way to go, you. I mean, Neal said you hated the guy, but I guess it's hard to hate someone that long when they walk around looking like that all day."

Regina crossed the room and took a seat opposite Emma. She folded her hands in front of her gave her a half shrug. "Well, it just sorta happened."

Emma shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with that." She paused, and reaching across the table, took Regina's hand. Holding it up, she inspected the bands on Regina's finger with appreciation. "Wow, nice ring. Looks _and_ taste, I see."

Taking her hand back, Regina couldn't help but agree.

They chatted for a while, about Emma's marriage, work, and how things were between Killian and Neal. It wasn't until Emma decided to turn the tables on Regina, asking about her trip to Ireland, how she and Robin ended up married, that Robin's voice called from the hall, rising in volume as he walked back into the kitchen.

"Well, I've cleared out the room mostly." He rubbed the back of his neck, and added, "Everything is now in our room." Regina thanked him, and then both pairs of eyes settled on him and he decidedly felt very uncomfortable, if not a little bit scrutinized. Clearing his throat he informed them, "I'll inform the lad and leave you ladies to it."

* * *

><p>They spent the evening with Henry, pulling out an old board game, and sat around the kitchen table while Henry gave Robin the third degree. He asked him questions from his background to favorite sports teams, if he played video games, did he like children, and now that he was married to his godmother he simply had to become familiar with two things. The Weather Channel, which Robin assured the boy he was already well aware, and the New York Knicks.<p>

Robin had blinked at that, then casted a dubious glance at Regina. He just could not believe the woman beside him, the posh, prim, sugar addict attorney, that his _wife, _had a secret affinity for _basketball_ of all things. Robin had shaken his head then, completely thrilled by this new tidbit of information, telling Henry they'd have to go to a game one day, which Henry agreed to with great enthusiasm.

Robin blinked up at the ceiling late that night. He hear her light breathing from the other side of the bed, and when she shifted to find a comfortable position twice in as many minutes, he remarked, "Well this was an unexpected turn of events, but then again, that's how things tend to happen when it comes to us."

Regina sighed, twisting around to tell him with an annoyed huff, "Robin, don't. Just no."

"No what?" He turned on his side towards her too.

She turned to face him, challenging. "You're _not_."

"Not what? Pointing out the irony?" He snorted. "Well, do believe that I am."

"This," she gestured between them, "_room thing_, is just for the weekend. And you will stay your side."

Robin laughed. "I couldn't roll to your side if I wanted to," he replied, and smacked a palm down upon the piles of pillows between them, separating them from one another. "Though, if you were to ask me, you could use a bit of being held, you know."

Regina let out a heavy breath and shut her eyes. "Goodnight, Robin."

Robin smiled sadly, studying her for a moment before replying with a soft, "Goodnight, love."

He wasn't sure how much time went by, but just as he felt himself beginning to drift off her heard her voice._ "Why do you want to be married to me?"_ If had been a touch lower he wouldn't have heard, but he did, and there was a note of misery in that phrase that disturbed him. His eyes opened and his blue eyes met her wet brown ones.

Robin propped up on his elbow to look over at her, the light spilling in through the translucent curtains from the backdrop of the city illuminating her features enough to make out in the dark. His voice was just as soft when he replied, "You really need to ask? I would have thought it was fairly obvious."

"Marriage never lasts." She shook her head, a tear escaping and slipping down the side of her face and into her hair. "If it's not disillusionment, or…death, then it's indifference, or cheating, or deceit. Cheating and deceit, God, I hate those the most, and I see them more and more. Like I said, marriage never lasts."

Robin had enough of them dancing around one another. Propping himself up on one arm, he pushed the pillows between them aside with one swipe, and ignoring her small cry of protest, he pulled her close and affirmed, "Ours will."

She shook her head, not looking into his eyes, afraid what she'd find there, telling herself she couldn't afford to believe. "You can't promise that," she said as she swallowed thickly.

"Aye, but I already have, my love." He reached up, and his thumb caressed her jaw, back and forth, soothing the soft skin there, and then gently coaxed her chin up. "You just have to open your eyes to see it."

"Things happen."

"They won't," he gave a small shake of his head, "not to us. We're not those couples we see. We won't do the things they do." His hands stroked over her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear before his thumb traced her bottom lip. He leaned into her, kissed her sweetly and then wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him. There was only a heartbeat's pause, and then Robin's breath left him as Regina's arm found its way around his middle, holding onto him just as fiercely, if not more.

They fell asleep that way, and when they woke the next morning neither had let go.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's Note: It's all just fluff really. You're welcome.  
><em>**

* * *

><p>It was late on Sunday afternoon when Regina and Robin took Henry home. Emma had texted her earlier that morning, telling Regina that she and Killian would be along later that evening to pick Henry up, but Regina had told her not to worry, because she and Robin would be more than happy to drop him off. Besides, Regina had yet to see the couple's new home, despite the numerous invitations, and she'd been meaning to drop by for months now. Finally Regina was at a place where she gave herself pause, and now that life had calmed down somewhat, she was finally making that time.<p>

Killian answered the door wearing an old grey Notre Dame tee shirt with paint on it. "Well, hello, Regina."

"Hello, Killian." Regina pointed at the big splotch of paint on his shirt. "Not wasting a Sunday afternoon, I see?"

He looked down at his shirt. "Only a little painting. We've got a nice surprise for the young lad today."

"A surprise?" Henry looked up at Killian with a grin. "What kind of surprise?"

"Why don't you run along into your bedroom where your mother is at and find out?" Killian asked, opening the door wide for them all. Henry grinned and ran in.

"Killian? Are they here?" Emma called out from further inside the house.

"We're here, Mom!" Henry exclaimed, depositing his shoes by the door and taking the stairs to the second floor two at a time. He must have liked what he saw because a moment later Henry's cries of delight could be heard from downstairs. An _"Oh my gosh!"_ was followed by _"You're the best mom ever!"_ Regina met Robin's eyes and they both grinned, and they heard Emma's voice call out for them to come up and check out her "handiwork."

Chuckling when she saw Emma standing in the hall with blue paint on her face, Regina said, "I like the color, but I'm sure it looks better on the wall."

"Ha ha, very funny. Go take a look," Emma responded with a tilt of her head.

Regina and Robin stepped into Henry's bedroom and Robin let out a low whistle. He said to Henry, "Well, young man, this is quite impressive. You officially have the coolest bedroom a lad like yourself could ever ask for."

Henry looked over at Robin; he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet in excitement. "You know _Doctor Who_?"

"I don't know many British lads who don't," Robin chuckled, looking around the room. "I would have loved a T.A.R.D.I.S. bedroom when I was your age."

Regina surveyed their work. All the walls had been painted a deep cobalt blue, except the closet, which now looked like a telephone booth. She didn't know much about the show, but she'd seen enough of Henry's love for all things _Doctor Who_ to recognize the tribute. "Looks like we came just in time."

Killian sighed dramatically. "I'll say. We'd just finished when you lot showed up. It's been a mad rush all day to get it done before the lad got home."

"That ain't no lie," Emma snorted, turning to their guests and asking, "You guys ate? I'm starving." Pausing before leaving the room she asked, "Hey, kid, you coming?"

Henry shook his head. "Nah, I'm going to hang out in my room for a while."

Emma chuckled. "Alright, just don't touch your closet for a while yet. It still needs to dry." The blonde headed back out and down the stairs, Regina, Robin, and Killian following behind. "You guys should stay for dinner."

"Oh well, we wouldn't want to interrupt your evening," Regina began but Emma waved away her concerns as they all walked into the kitchen. Killian took a seat at the table, and Robin followed, but held out a chair for Regina before taking a seat next to her.

"Come on, you guys are no interruption," Emma said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she opened the refrigerator. "Tea?" she asked, not bothering to wait for a confirmation as she took a pitcher from the fridge, and then reached into the cupboard. Regina got up to help her with the glasses.

When they sat, Killian noticed Regina looking at his shirt, and said, "What?"

Regina smirked and replied, "I have to say, I prefer paint-spattered t-shirts to all-black pirate regalia." Killian groaned and put his hand to his head, and Emma laughed. Robin looked around at the three of them. This was obviously some inside joke, but before he could feel put out from it, Regina took pity on her confused husband and said, "The first time Emma and I met Killian, we were at a Halloween party for one of Henry's friends, and Killian, who was a friend of that family, showed up in pirate gear. It was all-black leather, with a hook for a hand and a plastic parrot on his shoulder."

Emma grinned and added, "Killian came over to flirt right away, and the first thing out of Regina's mouth was 'I didn't know pirates wore eyeliner.' It sure made my husband aware of whom he should go for, because _I_ thought it was kinda hot."

Robin grinned at Killian, who was turning red, and tried picturing him in all-black with eyeliner. The image pulled a laugh from him. Killian, hearing this, sputtered, "That was not my fault! The family shoved that outfit in my hands barely half an hour before the party, and their oldest daughter wanted to give me some "pirate" scars or such! I just sat there until she was done!" The two women simply smiled. Apparently the situation and Killian's protests were old hat for them.

Robin reached for Regina's hand, which she allowed him to take, somewhat to his surprise. "Well, I for one am glad you decided on Emma, mate. Means I got to have Regina in my life." Regina blinked at him, flushing a light pink, and Robin squeezed her fingers slightly, which made Emma grin as she looked at them.

The blonde glanced at her husband, who took her hand, and she bit her lip, but the look on her face was joyous. "Killian and I have something to tell you."

"Oh?" Regina tilted her head to the side, picking up her glass with her free hand to take a sip of tea and leaving her other hand in Robin's. Appearances, after all, but it was also felt so natural to have his fingers threading through hers.

Killian squeezed Emma's hand, and the couple grinned at their guests. Regina licked her lips and hid a knowing smile. She was pretty sure she knew what their news would be, and sure enough Emma announced, "Killian and I are going to have a baby."

Regina smiled widely, getting up from her seat as she met Emma halfway and hugged her. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Emma replied, going back to her seat. Robin offered Killian his hand and offered his congratulations as well.

"We've known for a while, but we wanted to wait a bit to make sure."

"I understand," Regina said, smiling at the mother and father-to-be, and adding, "When are you due?"

Emma sighed, her hand falling to her still flat stomach. "April tenth."

"She keeps whining about how far away it is, but I just keep reminding her that the outcome is worth the wait," Killian shared, his grin infectious to all around.

* * *

><p>"Mmmm… it smells amazing." Emma groaned, heading into the kitchen an hour later, as Robin and Killian pulled out all the food and set it on the table.<p>

Regina asked, "How many people are you expecting?"

"Just the five of us," Killian stated, pulling out a side of steamed rice. "But Emma has had a bit extra of an appetite as of late, so in order to keep the rest of us from starving, we got extra."

Emma narrowed her eyes at Killian. "Ha ha. May I remind you that this is also your fault?"

"There's nothing wrong with a healthy appetite, love," he said, smiling at her and giving her a look that he must use on her often because she softened immediately.

Regina suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

Emma said, "I'll go up and get Henry. Hey, Regina, come up with me. I want to show you this thing I got for the baby."

When Emma and Regina left the men alone to get Henry from upstairs, Killian reached into the fridge and pulled them each a beer and said, "So you and Regina, you've been married how long?"

Robin took the bottle, telling him thanks before replying, "Three weeks."

Killian nodded, pulling a stack of plates from the shelves. "How's that going?"

Taking a drink, Robin swallowed. It slid smoothly down his throat, and had a rich, deep flavor. Inspecting the label, he was impressed. It was a good ale, he gave the man that. "Really well."

Killian took a moment to take a few sips as well. "The way Emma tells it, you both jumped into it rather fast."

Robin suppressed a sigh. He knew he didn't owe this man an explanation of his and Regina's actions. Had he a chance to go back and do it all again he would have changed a lot of things in regards to his relationship. For starters, he would have told her after their first night together how fascinating and stunning he found her. How she had enchanted him from the very moment he saw her in the courtroom, looking down on him with those lovely dark eyes. And ever since then, each day he had done nothing but thought only of her.

"She's right, it was rather fast," Robin admitted, biting his cheek. "But we seem to be doing alright."

"Good for you both." Killian raised his bottle to Robin for just a moment before Emma, Regina, and Henry came in and redirected their attention.

* * *

><p>After Emma closed the door, Robin offered Regina his arm and they set out into the crisp night air towards the subway station.<p>

"I'm sorry about all that." At his questioning gaze, she clarified, "All the questions about... our marriage."

Robin chuckled and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's not your fault, or theirs, really. How are they to know we've yet to talk about things such as how many children we'd like and whether or not we believe in disposable or cloth diapers?"

Regina returned the chuckle, telling him she would never had guessed Killian would be the planet-saving type. "I just hope they didn't make you feel uncomfortable."

He shook his head. "I thought it was amusing watching you squirm like that." Her hand slapped his shoulder, but it only made him laugh, and continue on. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen you turn such a lovely shade of red before. Though, I'm not terribly sure I trust Killian's research on the various positions which will guarantee a son or a daughter."

She scrunched up her nose at the memory, wishing Henry hadn't run back up to his room the moment dinner was over, leaving the adults to themselves."I think I could have lived without insight into their sex lives."

"They seem very excited."

"That they are." She glanced up at him and smiled.

"Makes you wonder doesn't it?"

"Wonder, what?"

He gazed ahead of them, and wondered aloud, "What children of ours would be like?"

"Hmm."

"I'm just asking you the questions that you're probably apprehensive about. Do you think we ought to talk about them?" he asked, taking a chance to glance at her.

Regina kept her eyes down, and she bit her lip in thought. The truth was she'd always wanted children, but then things happened, and she wasn't getting any younger. She'd always thought that part of her life was over. "And if I said I didn't know?"

"I'll be here when you're ready."

She took a steadying breath, and he put his arm gently around her shoulders as they walked. It felt good being this close to him, his strong presence beside her, warming her. "Do you want children?"

Her question surprised him, but ever quick on his feet, Robin replied with a confident, "Yes, I do. I mean-" he broke off and took in a deep breath as she looked up at him, her gaze more curious than terrified by his proclamation, so he amended, "I've always imagined myself as a father someday, but it's not a deal breaker of course."

They arrived at the subway station, and Regina was happy for the lull in conversation so she could gather her thoughts. Thinking of how Robin was with Henry over the weekend, a smile tugged at her lips. When they took a seat, she finally said, "I think you'd make a very good father someday."

"Well," Robin took her hand between his, "I think you'd make an amazing mother."

She looked away, a smile lighting her face that she couldn't stop, and looked out the window. Perhaps, that part of her life wasn't closed for good.

Coming to their stop, Robin took her hand, and they walked in silence for a little while until they reached their apartment. She turned to him and said, "Would you want to move out of city?"

He was bewildered by her question until it hit him what she was actually saying. Robin took

her hands in his and questioned, "Is that something you'd want?"

"No." She swallowed hard, not sure she wanted to actually be having this conversation but she was the one who started it after all. They were standing so close that she could smell his cologne and the wonderful masculinity that was all him. "I was raised in the city and well, if children were to ever happen, I'd want them to be raised here, too."

Robin couldn't help the warmth that infused him with these latest revelations. She was finally opening up to him-to them-and it wasn't what he had been expecting.

Her stomach clenched when he didn't answer right away, and she squeezed his hands. "Am I scaring you with all this?"

"No." He shook his head and looked intently into her eyes. "I'm… Well, honestly, I'm over the moon to know it's something you might want as well."

"I suppose it is."

"I have to ask, Regina, because we seem to be going around in circles, and I think we need to put a name to this... to us." Robin took a breath. "I need to know if you're in this with me, Regina, because Lord knows I am."

"Oh." She was quiet as she stared into his questioning eyes, trying to decide how best to answer him. This could be the opening she was waiting for, but she didn't feel she'd come that far, yet, to give them that kind of finality, and yet she wanted to. "Robin, I want to say yes but..."

"But what?"

"Can we slow down a bit?" she asked. "I want this to work, Robin. I do. But everything between us, everything happened so fast. Don't you think it would be nice to just be together, as a couple, but get to know one another?"

"So, you'd like to date?"

"We did pretty much skip that particular step." She smiled gently.

He glanced down and then back up at her with a wide grin. "I don't know, I still say our first night together..."

"That wasn't a date," she groused, could see that he was still worried though he was smiling. "I just think if we didn't put so much pressure on ourselves, if we took a step back, we could have an opportunity for conversations like whether we want children, and what our future holds." Smiling, she said, "Look at it this way, it would have us spending even more time together when we don't have to."

"I'm relieved you feel that way." He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. "I would love nothing better than to properly _date _you, Miss Mills."

She gave him a half shrug. "You can still call me Mrs. Locksley."

"Oh?" He took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

She felt slightly breathless as he leaned into her, his nose grazing her cheek. "It's growing on me." She sighed, as his lips descended on hers. Mumbling against his lips, she said, "Besides, we wouldn't want anyone to overhear you calling me that still. Could raise questions." She could feel him smile as he took her mouth in a soft kiss.

He pulled away, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "That is true."

She waited for a moment to see if he would say something more, or kiss her again perhaps. When he didn't say anything else, she tugged on his hand. "Well, we'd better get inside. I don't know about you but I need to prepare a bit for tomorrow and..."

Robin stopped her, pulling her gently back to him. "Hang on a moment."

"What?"

"Let's go on a date."

"Now?"

He chuckled. "Yes, right now. It's still early and there's a cafe not a block away that has those caramel apple crisps I know you love so much. We can grab a coffee and talk about things normal people talk about on dates."

"Oh?" She couldn't say she hated the idea of getting some coffee and spending the rest of their evening together huddled in one of her favorite cafes. She couldn't help but tease, "And just what do normal people talk about during dates?"

"Ah well," Robin started grinning as he took her hand again, steering them back down the block. "This being technically our first official date we'd want to make sure we stray from the exes conversations…" She hummed in an amused agreement, and he added, "Avoid all topics leading to anything beyond this evening, such as marriage and children, and sticky subjects like religion and politics."

"Seems simple enough."

He brought her hand up, kissing the back of it as they walked, and his smile warmed her. "Indeed."

* * *

><p>Later that night after she shut her bedroom door, she closed her eyes and rested against it. Their relationship was growing, but where it was going next and how quickly it might proceed was making her heart feel a little exposed and vulnerable – emotions that she didn't care for in the least.<p>

Yet Regina found the more time they spent together, the more she wanted to reveal about herself. He was patient and kind, and though they agreed they wouldn't talk of exes, Regina told him of Daniel, and of losing him so suddenly. Robin listened as she told him about how they'd met while they were in college, how they fell in love almost immediately, and how he'd asked her to marry him. Regina had wanted to wait, at least until they both finished school, but two weeks after graduation, just as they'd begun planning their wedding, Daniel had collapsed. He was diagnosed with a weak heart valve and passed away suddenly three weeks after that. Regina told Robin how she wished she hadn't held back, had married him while she had the chance.

A tear managed to escape, and Robin took her hands in his, offering her silent support. She looked up, apologized for ruining their date, but he'd hear none of it. He pulled her close, placing a kiss on her temple, and he'd whispered that he was sorry.

She closed her eyes, keeping herself from breaking down. She understood his apology. It was for her loss, but because he finally understood her. She let out a deep breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Looking into his eyes and feeling as though they were _finally_ on the same page, she'd been the one to close the distance between them, kissing him gently. They sat there at a small table, in the back of the quiet cafe, not saying much, simply enjoying being close to one another. Simple touches, and brushes of lips every now and again, as they talked about everything and nothing. And for the first time in a long time Regina Mills Locksley let herself feel loved.

It was an unusual feeling, allowing someone to have that kind of effect on her, but if she was going to let anyone into her heart, there's no one she'd rather have than Robin.

* * *

><p>Robin was sitting through the final hour of their trial for the day and for the week, pinching the bridge of his nose, wondering when it would ever end. He silently debated if it was merely the headache building behind his eyes, or his wife's client reiterating <em>another <em>justification to some adulterous affair, that caused him to check the time on his phone for the fourth time in as many minutes because time seemed to be slowing down to an infinitesimal crawl.

As he looked at his iPhone, he once again cursed himself for not at least downloading some games or books that would relieve the boredom of the seemingly endless discussion that always led to a courtroom brawl between clients. He had to suppress a sigh.

It was when he was looking for something vaguely interesting on the BBC News app, that he noticed he had an iMessage from Regina. Falling on it like a dehydrated man in an oasis, he opened up the message.

He blinked at the text, which didn't seem to make any sense.

"_How does a lawyer sleep?"_

He stared at the screen for a minute while he tried to process her question. Was she asking about how he slept that night? Did he look as exhausted as he felt? He looked over at her, but her attention was on Will, who was still on the stand, his monologue long and dripping with its usual sarcasm and petulance. Robin sighed, looking back at his phone. Finally, he just replied he didn't know.

The reply was almost instant. "_First he lies on one side, then he lies on the other._"

What the bloody hell was she talking about? Then he blinked hard as it hit him. She was telling him a joke. His focused and driven wife was telling him a _joke_, in the middle of _court_, during _her client's_ testimony. He found himself trying not to laugh, while at the same time putting the phone back into his pocket and trying to follow what the hell Judge Nolan was on about, when she suggested that something Will had been saying was "quite perplexing". Robin cursed silently as he looked over at the stand and desperately tried to concentrate on the proceedings.

The slight vibration from his phone notified him that there was another message. He couldn't resist. He discreetly as possible pulled his phone back out and looked down.

"_What do women, tornadoes, and hurricanes all have in common? They all get the house."_

Robin made a little snorting noise and closed his eyes. A bored Regina Mills-no, Mills _Locksley_- was a very dangerous thing. He just never realized that her _impishness_ extended to inside the courtroom. Sending bad lawyer jokes during a trial? As usual, she never failed to amaze him.

"Are you alright, Counselor Locksley?" Judge Nolan looked quite concerned.

Robin looked up sharply, and straightened in his chair. "Yes, Your Honor," he said as he cleared his throat. "I, er, I think I may be coming down with something."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you require a short recess?" Kathryn Nolan may have been hard as nails and no nonsense, but she was a caring woman deep down and Robin appreciated her kindness.

"No, thank you, Judge. I believe I can make it through." Robin smiled weakly at her and the judge checked the documents in front of her, looking for where she left off.

She requested Will to repeat his last statement and the man restarted his monotonous exposition again on the interaction of something with someone sometime. Robin didn't really care, because at that moment, he felt his phone vibrate again.

Another message from Regina. He was going to kill her.

It probably wasn't the smartest thing he'd done for a while, but he couldn't stop himself from selecting the notification icon that indicated a text message.

"_A good lawyer knows the law; a great lawyer knows the judge!"_

He rolled his eyes. Okay, she was screwing with him. _Very funny, my love,_ he started to type, but before he could make any kind of reply, another message flashed up on his screen.

"_What's the difference between God and a lawyer? God doesn't think he's a lawyer_."

The laugh exploded from Robin before he could stop himself. Years of training kicked in though, and he managed to swiftly cover his faux pas with a bout of coughing.

Judge Nolan looked down on him with a slight frown, asking him he was sure he could proceed, to which he confirmed, yes, yes he could. He just needed a drink of water. He narrowed his eyes at his vixen of a wife sitting across the courtroom, who was completely composed, only lifting one eyebrow at him coolly as he sipped his water. Just as Judge Nolan turned back to her papers, Regina let the corner of her mouth lift in a smirk at him. He bit his lip hard to keep from laughing again.

Another message had him reaching up, running a hand over his mouth, smothering a smile.

"_Dinner tonight, Chinese or sushi?"_

Thirty minutes later, Judge Nolan adjourned them for the week, for which Robin was extremely grateful and relieved. Regina had sent no more messages to him, but the memory of them kept making him want to smile like the stupid lovesick fool that he was, just because he was one of the few that was granted permission to see the multi-faceted woman beneath the calm, professional exterior Regina presented to the world.

Waiting for him outside the room was the very person he'd just been thinking of. His beautiful wife stood there calmly. Her expression was a picture of innocence, her hands held behind her back and not a trace of a smirk or smile on her face. Just as he was about to say something, Anastasia Scarlet appeared beside him.

"You must really take better care of your husband. Poor Robin seems to be coming down with something."

"It's just a minor headache, is all," Robin said, looking between his wife and his client.

"Don't you worry, I'll take good care of him," Regina said sweetly as she threaded her arm through Robin's. "Come on, dear, let's go home and I'll make you some soup like a good dutiful little wife."

Robin's brow rose at the very suggestion of her cooking. He was curious to discover how far her culinary skills in the kitchen ventured. So far the only thing he'd seen her make on her own was toast.

His client seemed satisfied with Regina's suggestion, though, and left them after ordering Regina to 'make sure he's taken care of'. Robin waited until they were alone.

"Lawyer jokes?"

"Oh, come on, Robin. I've heard Will's version of him sleeping with his assistant so many times now, _I_ could tell it, and with much less theatrics. I was bored and admit it, you were too. I was just making sure you didn't fall asleep." She lifted her finger to silence him before adding, "And the one about the women wasn't lawyer related, per se."

"Hmm."

"I'm sorry." She didn't look the _slightest_ bit sorry. "I'll make it up to you. I'll buy dinner tonight?"

"I thought I was getting homemade soup." Robin tried not to pout.

"Hey, even better," she gave his arm a squeeze and her eyes went impish. "Instead of Chinese, we go get some stuff to make a sauce, go home where you can take some Excedrin, and we'll make some spaghetti before we both lie around and watch that show of yours that is currently hogging all the memory on my TiVo."

Robin mock protested, "Hey, I'll have you know that Sherlock is a very popular series."

Regina snorted in amusement . "I'm sure it is."

* * *

><p>They'd stopped at the apartment to drop off their things and change, and for Robin to pop a couple of Excedrin, before they'd walked to the small grocery store down the street from the apartment. They spent over half an hour there, as Regina had insisted that they needed to have fresh ingredients for the tomato sauce, her only concession to time being canned tomato puree, and Robin had been fascinated as he watched her carefully feel and smell the vegetables and herbs before she put them in the basket he was holding. She'd debated a fresh block of Parmesan, but in the end decided that the packaged pre-grated would do. Robin had felt his headache fade altogether, helped not just by the medicine, but also by watching Regina. He loved seeing this other side of his wife, the one doing something that she liked and was fun for her.<p>

Back at the apartment, Regina set out her ingredients for the sauce with the zest and care of a general going into battle. Robin helped her wash and slice the vegetables, but left the actual sauce to her.

"Can I help with anything else?" he asked. "Anything you need to do with the spaghetti?" She pondered for a moment and nodded.

"It's the sauce that really makes the meal. I can handle that." She laughed a little. "I really like cooking, but with my schedule and case load, I rarely get the time, so I'm not where I'd actually like to be in that regard. But I make a mean spaghetti sauce. My dad taught me. Um, if you'd like you can toast some bread, and put the spaghetti to boil. Any idiot can boil spaghetti." She was grinning at him.

"Hey!"

She laughed. "I'm kidding, Robin, kidding. But if you could get the spaghetti and bread going, that would help a lot."

By the time everything was ready, Robin was famished. In addition to the spaghetti and bread, he'd browned the ground beef with a dash of garlic salt before Regina added it to her sauce. The sauce smelled incredible, and when he'd finally gotten a forkful of spaghetti and sauce to his mouth, he'd nearly moaned with delight. Regina's culinary repertoire might be limited, but what she _could_ do she did extremely well. His eager reaction to her efforts made Regina smile at him, and the dinner passed pleasantly as they ate and made light small talk.

Robin had joined Regina in the living room later before bed that evening. They had spent the early evening munching on snicker doodle cookies, which Robin felt made a perfect dessert for their Italian dinner, watching a couple new episodes of Sherlock before Regina declared they stop. Caught in the middle of season four, she told him if they were going to watch this show regularly together, she had to see it from the beginning. So that's exactly what they'd done. He'd had an Amazon Prime account, much to Regina's delight, and he logged on and pulled up season one.

They started out on opposite ends of the couch, but as the episodes went on Regina's commentary had her scooting closer so he could properly hear her, and five episodes later, she was snuggled into his side.

Robin yawned as the credits rolled. Glancing up at the clock he noticed it was nearing midnight, so taking the remote and switching off the TV, he called it a night.

Regina hadn't moved, and Robin glanced down, surprised to see the dark-haired beauty sound asleep. Wrapping an arm around her, Robin settled them back, so he could lie against the cushions. Closing his eyes, he buried his nose in her hair and breathed in the sweet smell of vanilla and apple blossoms, and placing a kiss on her temple, he let himself enjoy this moment of closeness with her.

Regina awoke in the early morning hours, curled up in Robin's arms. Deciding she was more than comfortable, she took advantage of the moment and settled herself between him and the back of the couch. He shifted restlessly, more on his side, arms still wrapped around her, holding her close. Regina laid her head on his shoulder, breathing him in, telling herself she'd worry about any repercussions tomorrow.

* * *

><p>"Regina? Where are you?"<p>

"In here."

He entered her bedroom and smiled at what he saw. Regina sat on her bed, a tablet in her lap and a book open to her side, with another book in her free hand. She was staring at the tablet with her usual serious look, only made more so by the dark framed glasses she wore.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm working on another case. This one, luckily, is being settled out of court," she explained.

"Ahh, I see. And the reading material?" he asked, eyeing the large book in her hand.

Regina gave him a half shrug, taking caramel rice crisp from the bag on the nightstand, and munching on it. "Research."

"Hmm." Curiosity got the better of him, and he picked up the book before she could stop him. "Jane Austen's '_Pride and Prejudice_.' Adopting some of Miss Bennett's wit for the courtroom, eh?"

"No. When I feel overwhelmed or get bored while I'm working, I pick it up and read a few pages." Suddenly, Regina looked uncertain, and shrugged. "It helps keep me focused."

"Well it's certainly a far cry away from the dry volumes of case law." Robin placed the book back down in front of her, then walking over to the unoccupied side of the bed, laid down on his side facing her, his head propped up on his elbow. "Is it only the classic you enjoy?" He held up the book he'd just put down as an example, then nodded to the one laying open on her other side. "What's that?"

"It's nothing. Just a…" Pausing, Regina fumbled. She didn't want him to know what else she'd been browsing through after having picked up a copy on their evening out while he was perusing the music section of Barnes and Noble. She blurted out the first author who came to mind. "It's just a Grisham novel."

"You're reading two books at once?" Robin just looked confused. Regina gave him an arch look.

"Plenty of people do that, Mr. Smarty."

"No need to get defensive, I was only curious," he teased, eyeing her with amusement. "What's the title of this one? I love his stories."

"Omm, it's..." _Shit, _Regina thought, _think, damnit._ But it was too late, Robin's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and he tilted his chin in the direction of the book.

"Let's see it," he demanded, playfully.

Regina scoffed. "I don't have to show you anything."

Robin grinned and reached over her, trying to make a grab for it, but she was faster and pushed his arm away, then held out her hands to prevent any future swipes. She gave him a serious look and said his name in warning.

Robin chuckled, sitting up before he got to his knees, "Why, Regina Mills Locksley, you wouldn't have one of those cheesy romance novels tucked away, would you?"

"What?" she pursed her lips. "No, I don't."

"Hm, evidence suggests, that while you say you're casually reading a few pages of a great classic romance, in all actuality, it's a front," he said as he leaned forward now on all fours and began stalking toward her. Taking the iPad from her lap he placed it in his vacated spot on the bed, she uncurled her legs, and he straddled them. "It's time for your confession, love." Regina leaned back against the pillows, closing the book, and clutching it in her hand, she shoved it under her, behind her back. He could tell she was fighting a smile, but as he hovered over her, flashing her a dimpled grin of his own, her own battle was lost, and she grinned in return. "What are you hiding, my darling? Surely not something so notorious? _Fifty Shades_, perhaps?"

Regina snorted, her nose wrinkling in disgust. She had better taste in literature than that. "You wish."

He gave her a cheeky grin. "Then why won't you show me what you've got tucked away, hm?" He lowered his head, nose gently bumping against hers.

"Because it's none of your business."

He shook his head. "Nope, not good enough. You see, now I have to know or I'm afraid I'll have to resort to drastic measures."

He lowered himself onto her, and Regina swallowed hard as liquid heat settled into her belly. His hands ran down her arms, then along her sides, clenching lightly, making her squirm. He grinned, and she narrowed her eyes. His intent was clear.

He was going to tickle her.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I will," he threatened.

"Robin," she warned again.

"Relinquish the book, Regina and no one gets tickled."

Her eyes held his and her jaw set. He dug his fingers into her sides, just below the ribs, and she giggled, squirming down the mattress trying to escape his touch. Unfortunately for her, it only put her further underneath him.

"Just give me the book."

She grinned up at him, and then got that adorable determined stubborn look on her face that he loved so much and she declared, "Never."

He tisked and shook his head at her. "Have it your way."

This time he was relentless. Surprised, Regina's arm that held the book behind her back flashed out to her side, and she fought desperately through fits of laughter to escape his clutch, whilst still keeping the book under her. However, Robin was too strong, and after a few minutes of tickle torture, he grasped both her hands, and holding them above her head, he shifted till he could hold them both with one hand, with her squirming underneath him the whole time. He then trailed his free hand down her side, still tickling her, sneaking his hand between her and the mattress until he wrapped his fingers around the book. He stopped, looking down at the adorable pout on her face.

"I'm sorry, my love. It didn't have to come to this you know."

Regina huffed. "I'm sure."

He grinned, and then pulled the book out from behind her back and held it aloft. His own face stared back at him. It was his book. He blinked, and then his gaze met hers. Biting his lip to keep from looking too smug, he asked, "Care to explain?"

Regina arched a perfectly manicured brow, "I was curious," she admitted.

Robin tossed the book on the floor and carefully took off her glasses, placing them on the side table, and lost his own battle as he guffawed. Reaching up, he took one of her hands in each of his again; threading his fingers through them and smiling down at her, he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "I think you fancy me, Regina Mills."

"Oh, do you? You have no evidence to support your case."

He placed a line of kisses down her throat from just under her ear and down to her collarbone. Regina shivered, and a hum of approval escaped her lips before she could stop it.

His lips pulled into an oh so smug smirk. "Well, if you require evidence, I give you exhibit A. You're reading my book."

"Circumstantial, at best. I could just be gathering information to use against you."

He chuckled against her collarbone, the stubble from his beard tickling as he nipped at her pulse. Regina shifted her legs so he would fully settle between them, groaning as his hard length settled against her, her hips tilting instinctively to meet his.

He nipped and placed wet kisses along her jaw, and when her legs tightened against his hips, he gave a small thrust against her, making her gasp.

Robin mumbled against her cheek, his lips making their way to hers, and began to rock against her steadily. "I'm sure, my love, that I can give you more than enough direct evidence to support my case."

Her eyes met his and she leaned up a bit, surprising him by placing a soft kiss on his lips. "What are you waiting for, Counselor? Prove it."

He groaned and leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closing. This wasn't his intention; he didn't come in here for this. He just wanted to wish her goodnight. He looked deep into her eyes and told her in a low husky voice, "Regina, my love, if this isn't what you want..."

She shook her head, tightening her grip on the hands that still held hers, and assured him, "Robin, I _want _this."

"Only if you're sure."

He felt her tremble, and then she grabbed his head, pulling his mouth towards hers, and just as they were about to touch, she whispered against his lips, "I want you."

His heart was fit to burst wide open, and a bolt of arousal shot through him as he growled and took her mouth in a hungry kiss. He held her close, caressing her, running his hands over her sides. She wound her arms around his neck. Regina's mouth opened under his and their tongues met in a warm kiss. They kissed and kissed one another, hard and long. They couldn't get enough of each other.

The need to breathe took over and Robin pulled back. His blue eyes met her warm brown ones, which held an exciting undercurrent of want and need. He lay over her and looked down into her smiling face, thumbs brushing along the soft skin of her cheekbones, still not quite believing that they were finally here.

Lifting her hand, she stroked his brow and brought her fingers down and traced his lips. He closed his eyes, completely overcome. He wanted to touch her, he wanted to take her, he wanted to make this moment last forever. He wanted to show her that drinking had nothing to do with why he needed to be with her, and that there was one thing he wanted above all else.

He wanted them together.

She traced the outline of his face with gentle fingers, softly stroking across his forehead, down the bridge of his nose, around the soft stubble of his cheeks and chin and back up to his brow again. He opened his eyes and looked down into hers. They were dark with desire and her skin was flushed with want. He groaned and pulled his tee off in one swift motion, and as Regina stroked her hands up his abdomen and chest he dragged the hem of her sweater up slowly, till it was up and off. He looked down at her; her nipples were straining through the thin lace of her bra. Grazing them lightly with his fingertips, he felt himself harden even more as she moaned and arched her back, thrusting her chest towards him. He leant forward and bit each nipple gently through the fabric, reveling in her soft cries of pleasure, and pulling back he could see them harden even more. Robin got to his knees, pulling her cotton pants slowly down, his fingers dragging behind over the soft skin of her hips.

Goosebumps erupted on her skin, and the way her body trembled and shuddered at his touch made him groan her name. He slid her pants down her thighs and to her feet, pulling them off and then dropping them somewhere to the floor. She lay before him in nothing save her panties and bra, and dear God, she was absolutely breathtaking, and he told her so as he leaned forward and kissed the soft fullness of her breasts. Reaching behind she undid her bra, and Robin dragged the straps slowly down her arms. Her breasts now free, he dropped a wet kiss on each nipple as his fingers kneaded the responsive flesh, and Regina moaned again and grabbed his head, pulling it to her chest. He ran his hands over her hips again and then slid them beneath her panties, squeezing the soft skin of her hips as he made love to her breasts, then pulling the last wisp of fabric she wore down, down, down until she was able to kick them away.

Slowly she slid her hand down between them and began to pull at the button of his jeans, and when she got it open, she pulled the zipper down and slipped her hand inside. Regina sighed as she palmed his length. He was hot and hard in her hand, and he unconsciously thrust towards her. She pushed at his jeans with her free hand, and he mumbled against her lips to give him a moment. She reluctantly let go of him, and sitting up, he hauled his pants and boxers off, his erection springing free.

Licking her lips, she looked up at him with hooded eyes as he hovered over her once again, before lowering himself down and kissing her again.

His hand moved down her belly, and when he reached between her legs he found her more than ready. He groaned, dropping a kiss to her jaw. "So beautiful," he moaned against her throat, as he slid a finger into her. Regina whimpered into his mouth as he added a second finger, hooked them in such a way that had her crying out his name and clutching the comforter. Shifting down, Robin returned his attention to her breasts, and her fingers threaded into his hair, gripping with every thrust of his fingers. Christ, she was so wet. So ready for him. But Robin held back, taking his time to learn what made her gasp, and arch, and breathe out his name between those glorious lips.

He rested his forehead against her shoulder. "God, I want to be inside you, Regina."

Before he knew what was happening, she had hooked her calf around his leg and rolled him beneath her.

Opening his eyes he found her now hovering above him. She began sliding her wet folds over his rigid length, and he groaned gutterly, involuntarily thrusting up against her. She bit her lip and pushed harder against him. It seemed he wasn't the only impatient one, but he stilled her for a moment and cupped the side of her face, bringing it down to kiss her deeply.

He could feel Regina take him in her hand, guiding him to where she was wet and ready for him, and rubbing the head of his shaft against her entrance as Robin clenched the comforter in his fists. He groaned as she took the head of him inside her and then sank down on him, taking him in fully. They both moaned at the feeling of him filling her, and Robin moved his hands to her hips as he waited for her to adjust to him. Gripping her hips, he let her set the pace. Her hands came down to rest on top of his as she sat up, setting a steady rise and fall of her hips, and her met her movements with his own thrusts.

Regina's head tipped back, her breathing became quick and shallow, and Robin took one hand from her hip, reaching own to touch her. She was so close already, and that touch to her clit was all it took, and she came, calling his name through Robin's encouragements, and then collapsed onto his chest, breathless. Robin felt her soft breasts press against his chest as she trembled, his hands stroking up and down her bare back, his shaft still buried inside her, stiff and ready.

Finally, Robin rolled them, supporting his weight on his forearms. Regina's sultry voice in his ear, telling him how much she wanted him, made him groan into her shoulder. He was nearly incoherent with want as he lined up and sank down into her. Their moans echoed off the walls of the bedroom together, his deep and rumbling, hers short and sharp.

Regina ran her hands up along his arms over his shoulders and into his hair. She tightened her grip with each thrust of his hips, filling her so fully, and she felt herself being carried on another wave of desire.

Their bodies molded together, thrusting and moving against one another. Her body was on fire, her skin aflame. He was thrusting into her, as she ground her hips to him, and her intense groans and whimpers build to a pleading crescendo. His hand reached down between them, she gasped when his fingers grazed over her clit, rubbing in small circles, and she whispered to him, _faster._

Robin did just that with words of encouragement, and then as he told her, _let go for me, my love_, a cry came unbidden from her lips, as her orgasm took her, seizing her body right over the edge.

Robin was gasping in pleasure as he watched her through half-closed eyes as her face contorted and she threw her head back, crying out his name as she came. As her inner muscles clamped down on him, the echo of his name in Regina's ecstatic tone ringing through his ears, he let out an almost anguished groan and thrust deeply again and again as his orgasm overtook him until he called her name and spilled inside her. Robin's heaving body slumped down on to her. She wrapped her arms around him. Robin pushed himself up a little, kissing the expanse of Regina's neck and collarbone, grinning into her skin when she gasped and moaned.

He started to pull out, but she held him more tightly to her and shook her head slightly. Burying her head into his shoulder, she whispered quietly, "Not yet." He understood.

They lay in each another's arms for countless minutes, touching gently, breathing each other in and learning the feel of one another in their newfound intimacy. Finally, Robin slipped out of her and rolled them so Regina could lie against him.

Regina was stroking his chest, running her fingers over s skin. Eventually she pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Mmm," She snuggled closer into his side, and muttering into his shoulder, continued with a chuckle, "not too bad for a couple of sober people."

He snorted a laugh and rolled her beneath him. "I'll give you 'not bad.'" Laughing, he kissed her neck, and she let out a loud squeal as he tickled his way down her body, laving and nipping as he went. Needless to say, neither Regina nor Robin got any more work done that night.


End file.
